


From Hate to Love

by SirJoker



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cats, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-10-01 20:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 47,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirJoker/pseuds/SirJoker
Summary: John “The Doctor” Smith loves his job, his pet cat and even his beat up, blue Mercedes-Benz 450SLC. There’s just one thing he doesn’t love though: Clara Oswald… or so he claims.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Happy New Year!
> 
> Welcome to this new fic! :) Enjoy!
> 
>   
>    
> 

John "The Doctor" Smith is a very simple man… or at least he likes to think so. He has a pet cat he absolutely adores by the name of Idris, a job he loves, a car that's been with him through thick and thin, and a roof over his head. What's not to love, right?

Ok, so maybe he started loving his home a little bit less since the past year. Infinitesimally so. No big deal. The reason?

Clara Oswald.

That woman and her bike, and nosy cat, and… well, and her inflating eyes! That's why.

She had moved next door just a little over a year ago.

The Doctor then discovered that she worked at the same university as him. In the same department. The first month was fine, and then somehow, they started hating each other, or rather, she started picking a fight with him.

He couldn't quite recall how it truly began, but he was sure it started when he nearly ran her over with his car. There was yelling, and he obviously had to defend himself since it wasn't his fault she just rushed to the gate as if her life depended on it.

Perhaps he had sounded a bit too rude to her that day, but it was too late to take it back now. It's her fault she insisted to continue their silly feud.

John snapped out of his thoughts when Idris meowed at him, demanding his full attention. "Yes?"

The black cat purred and headbutted his leg.

He went over to the kitchen counter before opening a cupboard and pulling out a packet of wet cat food. "I can't help but think you're a bit too spoiled."

Idris meowed as he served her meal in a bowl in one corner of the tiny kitchen.

After disposing of the rubbish, he checked the time on his wristwatch. 7:51 AM.

As much as the Doctor preferred starting his lecture at the earliest, 10 AM, he ran out of luck this year when the computer system assigned him to several, well, three 9 AM lectures within a week. Far too early for his taste, and it wasn't like most of his students are going to be excited to learn at such an early start to the day anyway.

He finished his breakfast and gulped down his coffee before placing the dishes into the sink.

Just as he was about to leave the house, Idris followed him to the front entrance. "I'll be back at around four or five today," he told his pet before locking the door.

John got into the car and before he started the engine, he paused. Water and food in the garden for Idris. Yes, he remembered to leave her some food outside in case she got hungry.

There was a good reason why he wanted to leave home early. The beat up, blue Mercedes-Benz 450SLC usually likes to mess with him and he was sure the car had a mind of its own since he first got the vehicle some fifteen years ago. "Please be nice to me today."

The mathematician's wish came true as it only took the first try to start the car and he grinned.

"Love you," he murmured, patting the dusty dashboard fondly.

John then glanced at the house next to his. The large motorbike was still parked by the porch so that means the Impossible Girl hadn't left yet. Good.

The Doctor had given her such nickname because well, she was impossible! It was impossible to talk to her without arguing, impossible to prevent from nearly hitting her with his car almost every day at uni, despite him leaving early, and impossible to even look at because he couldn't take her seriously when she's fuming.

Without much thought, he put the vehicle in reverse before driving off. Today would be different. Today, he wouldn't nearly hit her with his car again.

\-- 

It didn't matter when the Doctor left for work. Be it early, extremely early or even late, he would always, always end up nearly hitting that infuriating woman with her large motorbike. It was as if the universe was trying to make his commute to work as bad as possible.

Today was no different as he immediately slammed on the brakes when he caught sight of a bike nearly colliding with him… again. The tires screech loudly. Maybe he shouldn't have stopped by at Sainsbury's to get a cup of coffee.

"Oi, watch it!" she growled, glaring at him.

Yeah, as if someone like Dr Clara Oswald could terrify him.

He rolled down the window halfway through as it suddenly got stuck, making an unpleasant noise in the process, causing the woman to smirk.

"Your dinosaur of a car needs to be looked at," she said.

Both were still parked in front of the entrance, ready to get in first, but still cautious of one another, and luckily, there was no one behind them to honk. Yet.

John wished he had a clever come back, but nothing came to mind. "Yeah, well, at least I don't look ridiculous on that massive bike!"

"You're just jealous you have a piece of junk!" she spat.

"At least I know how to drive!" he retorted before mockingly signalling her to go first. "Ladies, first, or rather, the elf on the bike."

A honk was heard.

"I hope your car breaks down this instant!" she growled, entering the campus carpark.

Another honk came from the third vehicle waiting in line, and then another. Both ignored the other cars.

John couldn't help but laugh. His car may be old and unreliable at times, but the last thing she'll do is break down.

After parking his vehicle in one corner of the carpark, he grabbed his messenger bag and stepped out, immediately greeted by the chilly October air.

He made his way to the Department of Mathematics building and went straight for the lift. There is no way in hell he's taking the stairs up to the fourth floor. Not when he's had a miserable start to his day.

"Too old to take the stairs?" a voice mocked behind him.

"Says the pot to the kettle," John grunted, glancing at his colleague.

"I guess you are ancient since you can't see that I'm carrying a bag of marked scripts," Clara countered, lifting the second bag she held in her left hand.

"You're just making excuses for yourself," he added, stepping into the lift and trying to prevent her from getting in, but she hit him with the heavy bag, or at least swayed it in his direction.

Clara set down the bag on the floor, glaring at the Scotsman. "I'm sorry, does it say anywhere that this lift belongs to you?"

John wrote his name with his index finger on the metal wall. "Yes."

"Insufferable," she muttered, wishing the lift would move a bit faster.

The doors finally opened, and they were greeted by the sight of another colleague, Dr Jack Harkness. "Well stick me in a dress and call me Sally!" he exclaimed. "Did John drive you here – did you two finally kiss and makeup – I hear wedding bells!"

"Jack!" both growled, but he was undeterred.

"Anything could have happened in such a small and confined space," he suggested, winking at them as they stepped out.

"Oh, let me help you with that," Jack offered, taking the heavy bag from Clara. "You could have done her a favour, you know," he said, looking accusingly at John.

The Doctor ignored him and headed straight for his office. Twenty minutes before his first lecture of the day starts. It wasn't a big deal since his office is merely two doors down from hers and it only takes less than thirty seconds to walk from the lift to her office.

As he was making the necessary preparation, a knock was heard. The next moment, Jack stepped inside with a wide grin.

"Yes, I nearly hit her with my car again, yes, we argued in the lift and no, we are not getting married," John grumbled, glaring at his friend and colleague.

"Shame, I'll keep on dreaming though," he replied. "Maybe you should consider being a bit nicer to her, or in general."

"Well, she can start by apologising for starting this bloody thing in the first place."

"So, I'm guessing the bet is still on?"

John had completely forgotten about it. The bet. The wonderful bet which he was leading by a point.

He and Clara had somehow made a bet one fine day, trying to prove each other better than the other. So, the bet. Whoever publishes the most papers by the end of the academic year wins. If he loses, he would have to lend Clara his vehicle for three days.

The brilliant bit in all of this, however, was his prize. John knew he had to choose a prize that would piss off the Impossible Girl and make her think about it for weeks on end, so if she loses, she would have to give him a kiss. That'll teach her.

"Yeah," the Doctor answered, stopping himself from smiling smugly. He has a lot more experience than her when it came to publishing papers, so it will be an easy win.

"Nice, you know I'm rooting for you to win, right?"

John rolled his eyes. For some strange reason, Jack seems to have a very odd fascination with their rivalry. One of his PhD students, Bill Potts, had mentioned it was called 'shipping'.

"I'm just trying to show her who's boss."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night!" Jack said cheerfully before he left.

"There is nothing going on between us!" the Doctor insisted, almost to the point of yelling and nearly startled someone who knocked at his door.

"Should I drop by some other time?" Bill asked.

"I have a lecture in ten minutes, that's all I can spare for now," John said, his tone softer.

Bill remained at the corridor. "Yeah, I just wanted to ask if it's ok if I drop by later today – got a few questions to ask."

"Does 2 PM sound good to you?"

"Yep, that's fine, thanks, Doctor."

Just when he thought he could get some peace and quiet, a voice was heard saying, "She's coming – she's bloody coming!"

Oh, great.

The break room, which was filled with postgraduates and staff alike, began rushing out.

"Oh, Jesus wept!" a PhD student by the name of Oishin muttered as he quickly rinsed his coffee mug in the sink.

As much as he hated the commotion, he enjoyed seeing everyone running for their lives. It was comical.

"Gird your loins!" Jack said as he rushed out of the break room with a mug in his hand. "As Stanley Tucci would say!"

"I didn't know the vice-chancellor's back so soon!"

"I'm nailing a cross behind my door later today."

There was no doubt in John's mind that the vice-chancellor is looking for him again. What could she possibly want this time?

The hallway was now completely deserted and silent as if the building had been abandoned.

John took the opportunity to get himself a packet of crisps before returning to his office. Five minutes to spare before the lecture.

"If it isn't the drama king," a voice from the corridor said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your support! Enjoy! :)

Clara Oswald collapsed on her chair as soon as Jack placed the bag on the desk, thanking him for helping her with the heavy bag. It was a good thing he was where he was because she was sure she would have dropped everything had he not been there and offered help.

The Doctor was totally useless as usual, high on that ivory tower of his, and he nearly hit her with his car, again!

"I really appreciate it," she said, beaming.

"Not a problem," Jack replied. "Your boyfriend woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" he asked jokingly.

She pursed her lips.

"Right, I think I took it a bit too far."

Clara arched a brow.

"See ya!" Jack said as he dashed out of her tiny office.

If only he knew what was going on with her love life. She really wanted to point out to Jack that she has a boyfriend, but one, he has been one of the nicest people she has ever met, it would be rude to just randomly cut in and say otherwise and two, at this point, she wasn't sure if she and Danny were still an item. It's a complete mess.

As if on cue, her phone beeped in the pocket of her coat and she pulled it out. Danny.

He's asking if she's free this weekend so that they could have a date.

As much as she was keen to have him over during the weekend and spend time together, she can't. There were test scripts that needed to be marked, she needs to take her cat to the vet and then continue working on a paper she recently started thanks to that Scottish bastard. No free time at all.

"She's coming – she's bloody coming!"

The text message from her boyfriend would have to wait as Clara immediately put her phone aside and discarded the coat, hanging it on the chair.

Clara Oswald had only been working at the university for a year and she had learned a lot of things.

She learned that the then-new vice-chancellor is a scary woman. The lecturer isn't terrified of her per se, but there is something the woman that told Clara to stay off her radar.

The second thing she learned is that the department is a fairly small one with about 40 faculty members and 30 postgraduates. Everyone seems to know each other well and is close-knit.

The third thing she learned, she hated Dr John Smith, aka, the Doctor. He has to be the most annoying, arrogant, pompous, rude, thinks-he's-better-than-everyone-else man she has ever met in her entire existence and just who calls themselves "the Doctor" anyway? His ego must be the size of Europe. Sure, he's made some contributions… well, lots of contributions in the field of mathematics and even won the Fields Medal, but that doesn't give him the excuse to act like a jerk.

She loves her job, but at the same time hates it, thanks to the Doctor.

Once the hallway became silent, she decided to see if the vice-chancellor has finally arrived and saw her standing in front of John's office.

Of course, why else would Professor Missy Smith come here, if not to see her brother?

Her connection with the Doctor is also the reason why Clara wanted to steer clear of her. She could fire her on the spot and no one would say anything.

As much as she felt tempted to sometimes slap that smug look off of the Doctor's face, she had to hold back. Clara had lost count the number of times she imagined running his foot over with her bike, or something similar of the sort, but never actually doing it mainly for fear she would get fired.

"If it isn't the drama king," Missy commented, loud enough for Clara to hear her.

"Can I help you, Miranda Priestly?" John said sarcastically, still seated and holding the packet of crisps.

"People have been complaining, again," his sister stated, frowning. "I've only been back for less than a day and the first thing I have to deal with is you."

"And Dr Oswald."

Clara froze in her spot by the door.

Missy sighed. "I'm warning you, John, this has been going on for long enough – stop acting like children, you and her."

"It's not my fault-"

The vice-chancellor raised her hand, signalling him to stop speaking. "I don't care whose fault it is – tell your girlfriend to knock it off, too."

Without another word, Missy made her way back to where she came from, putting the conversation to a complete stop.

Clara shut the door to her office when she saw John's shadow. She leaned against the frame as the sound of his heavy footsteps diminished.

She's glad that she was spared from the lecture. Come to think of it, Missy had never approached her since she first started working her, not that she was complaining.

Her gaze returned to the smartphone lying on the desk. Danny. She'll text him when she returns home.

To calm her nerves, Clara grabbed the empty mug next to the keyboard and headed for the break room which began filling with people. Some tea should help.

As she was busy making her drink, some of the postgraduate students began gossiping in the corner.

"I saw Clara and the Doctor fighting again today," Oishin said quietly. "They were blocking each other from getting into the lift, so I immediately took the stairs."

"From where I'm from, there's this saying along the lines of 'the more two people argue, the more likely it is they'll get married'," a young man by the name of Dan said. "Bet they will in two or maybe three years."

"Are we seriously gossiping about the lecturers here?" Bill asked.

Oishin glanced at Clara before he shrugged. "Guess we are – it's somewhat amusing."

"Practically everyone ships them," Bill muttered, quickly looking away as Clara turned around.

\-- 

Clara Oswald couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Just moments ago, the head of the department, Professor Ian Chesterton had knocked on her door and asked her to see him in his office.

She couldn't recall causing any serious trouble, excluding the spat that she had with the Doctor earlier in the day, but that couldn't possibly be it since it's now what everyone has considered being a normal occurrence.

Why does he want to speak to her? Is he going to finally fire her?

She couldn't afford to lose her job.

"What are you doing here?" John asked as quietly as possible with a hint of annoyance in his voice as he stood in front of Ian's office.

"I could say the same thing to you – are you stalking me?" she retorted.

He scoffed and crossed in arms. "I do believe it's the other way around."

"Don't be full of yourself, grandpa!"

He took offence to her comment. "I am not that old!" he growled.

"Those plaid trousers," she said, pointing at them. "Say otherwise, well, more like a mid-life crisis, really."

The Doctor glared at her.

"And your attack eyebrows don't scare me."

"Attack eyebrows?!"

Clara merely smirked, enough to cause him to grit his teeth.

Suddenly, John laughed.

"What's so funny?"

He shot her a smug look. "Nothing, it's just that while I may wear plaid trousers and possess attack eyebrows," he stated before raising his arm to her height. "At least I'm not an elf."

She felt tempted to slap him. "Screw you!"

"You'd have to buy me dinner first."

Ian's office door swung open and the head of the department stared at the two lecturers with a blank expression. "It sounds to me like the both of you need a room."

The Doctor and Clara looked in opposite directions, avoiding eye contact with Ian.

She couldn't help but feel anxious as Ian pushed the door further to let them in. Oh, they were in so much trouble and not to mention she embarrassed herself in front of the head of the department.

"The reason I called both of you here is that I wanted to inform you that we'll be having an open day next week," he explained. "Well, it's actually two days long."

Clara wondered what he was getting at, standing as far away from the Doctor as possible.

"I'm guessing we're going to have to give a lecture taste test?" John asked.

"Yep," Ian confirmed, looking at the schedule. "The second day on Saturday, so both of you will have to be here during the weekend – the department will compensate, of course."

Clara remained silent. Why did she have to go to work on a Saturday and work alone with the Scottish bastard no less?

"Why do I have to work with her?" John complained.

"Because everyone else either has other plans or have done their part for the open day," Ian replied. He made the right decision to inform them in person. "Anyway, I've sent you an email and everything is in there."

That was the end of the conversation, so the two lecturers left the office, unhappy that they had to spend a weekend together.

"I can't believe this," John grumbled after the door shut.

Clara rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour. "Oh, shut up, grandpa – just accept your fate and move on."

"And you looking disgusted in Ian's office screams mature."

She pushed him aside and returned to her office as she has a lecture in less than twenty minutes.

"Can you feel the love tonight," Jack sang, holding a cup of coffee in his right hand.

The Doctor whirled around, slightly startled. "Where did you come from?!"

"Everyone could hear you two argue in the hallway," his colleague answered. "The hallway full of offices and lecture rooms."

"It wasn't my fault."

Jack took a sip of his coffee, following John to the break room. "No, nobody can blame you or her – love makes us all do crazy things."

"I am not in love with Clara," the Doctor insisted, slamming the cupboard after taking out a packet of crisps.

Jack merely laughed. "I would have dated you and her if the two of you weren't in love with each other."

"That's a disturbing thought."

"I'm quite the catch – don't deny it, John."

The Doctor frowned and wrinkled his nose in response, munching on some crisps.

"Anyway, back to my main topic, were you and her having a lovers' quarrel?"

John shut his eyes and sighed.

"You should feel grateful that I ship you with Clara – I'm willing to die protecting this ship."

He wanted to bang his head against the cupboard now.

"Let me guess, you and she-who-shall-not-be-named have to work on open day?"

At least Jack finally got somewhere. "Yes, unfortunately, regretfully, sadly and unhappily, we have to."

"Lecture taste test?"

It wasn't the so-called lecture taste test that made John dread the upcoming open day. It was the fact that both had to be present during the Q&A sessions. He could always avoid Clara during her turn, but there was no way he could escape from being in the same room as her after that.

Jack whistled. "The universe is obviously trying to get you and Clara closer together – take the relationship to the next level."

"What?" the Doctor retorted. "Are we going to duel every time we argue instead of just exchanging insults?"

"More like smooch," Jack whispered, winking.

"The she-devil is here," John muttered when Clara walked into the break room.

"I heard that!" she snapped, and the room immediately fell silent.

The two postgraduate students who were lounging on the sofa rose to their feet and left in a hurry.

"And what exactly did you hear?" he asked, smiling sarcastically.

Two can play that game. "I don't actually mind being called the devil – I'll take it as a compliment," she said. "I mean, if I'm the devil, that means I'm in charge of hell, and you look like the sort of person who would go to hell, so that means I can personally torture you for all eternity – _I'll own you_ ," she whispered, face merely inches from his before pulling away.

John stared at her for a few seconds before he blinked.

Clara then washed her mug with a triumphant look on her face before leaving.

Jack, on the other hand, stared at his friend with his mouth agape. "This is why you guys are meant for each other."


	3. Chapter 3

The moment Clara returned home, which unfortunately had to be next to the Doctor's, she collapsed on the sofa, energy completely drained after a tiring and busy day.

She wanted nothing more than to shut her eyes and sleep for the next three days. That would be lovely, but reality isn't going to allow her such luxury, not when she agreed to the stupid bet.

What on earth possessed her to immediately say yes to the challenge, aside from the possibility of humiliating the Doctor and driving his vintage car of course. No, the bigger question would be why she even agreed, despite knowing that his prize increases the risk.

Clara would have to give him a kiss. A bloody kiss. A kiss on the cheek, but a kiss, nonetheless. The very thought of performing such an act made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. She's not kissing the Scottish bastard, so winning the bet is the only option.

The lecturer shut her eyes briefly before she felt a weight on her left leg. Mr Darcy, her pet cat, was sitting on top of her and she immediately smiled. "Did you miss me?"

Mr Darcy meowed before jumping off the sofa, headbutting his head against her palm. She scratched the orange tabby's head and he purred in approval.

"Do you have any idea how I can win the bet?" the mathematician asked her pet. The Doctor is clearly more experienced than her and he's already working with two PhD students.

Then again, she has plenty of time. There is always the option to request the department to reduce her teaching workload, but she loves giving lectures more than publishing papers.

The smartphone in the pocket of her trousers suddenly rang and tore her out of her thoughts. It was her nan.

"Hello, nan," she greeted happily but failed to mask her exhaustion.

"Clara, dear, you sound tired, should I call some other time?"

"No, no," she insisted, getting into a sitting position. "Sorry, just tired and had a bad day at work today."

Her nan chuckled. "Does it have something to do with that chap you're smitten with?"

"I am not smitten with the Doctor!" she countered. "I have a boyfriend, nan."

"Whom you have yet to introduce me to," nan replied.

At this point, she wasn't even sure if Danny will ever be introduced to her family, judging by how things are going with her life. "I promise you I will as soon as I get some free time – my schedule has been hectic thanks to my rude neighbour and colleague."

"What happened this time?"

"He nearly ran me over with his car, again, insulted me, had the audacity to call me an elf, called me a she-devil and worst of all, I have to work with him on open day next week, on a Saturday, of all days."

Her nan was silent for a second. "Are you sure you don't fancy him just a tiny bit?"

"Not at all," Clara denied.

"Does he fancy you?"

She laughed. Yeah, as if someone like the Doctor is capable of such an emotion. "If you ever met him, you'd know what he's like."

"Sounds like he has a crush on you," nan explained. "The insults are a dead giveaway – he's trying to get your attention."

Her nan is getting it all wrong. The Doctor doesn't have a crush on her and she certainly doesn't fancy him. "I very much doubt that nan," she sighed. "Let's just change the subject – when are you going to visit me?"

"I will, I will."

"You haven't seen the new house yet, and I'm sure Mr Darcy misses you."

Her grandmother laughed. "I miss him, too, but who knows, I might pop in unannounced."

"I'd welcome that since there's barely anything exciting here."

"Well, I don't want to keep you occupied for too long," nan said. "Be sure to get some well-deserved rest and don't stress yourself over the Doctor."

Clara huffed. "I think the latter is almost impossible."

"Bye, Clara, I love you, darling," nan murmured, trying not to laugh.

"Love you, too, nan," she replied before hanging up and placing the phone on the coffee table.

It was nice to hear from her grandmother after a long day. Clara certainly felt a bit better after venting out her frustration with the Doctor. If their fight keeps up, she might end up having grey hair before 35.

Once more, the mathematician was snapped out of her thoughts when her phone rang. She picked up the electronic device and saw that Danny was calling her.

"Hey," she answered, cheerfully.

"Hello, beautiful – I miss you," Danny said. "Tried calling you a few minutes ago."

Clara chuckled. "Sorry, about that – was on the phone with my nan."

"You alright?" he asked. "You did get my message this morning, yeah?"

He sounded hopeful which meant that her boyfriend really wanted to spend the whole weekend with her.

"Yeah, I did."

She rose to her feet and headed for the kitchen.

"Sorry, been busy the whole day," she explained, filling Mr Darcy's bowl with cat food.

Danny waited for a second to continue to before he decided to push further. "So, are you free this weekend?" he asked, feeling hopeful, yet unhopeful at the same time.

Clara blew air between her lips. "I'm sorry, Danny, but I'm super busy this weekend – I've got tests to mark, a paper to write and Mr Darcy needs to go to the vet since he keeps scratching his ear."

"What about next week?"

"I can't either – there's an open day," she sighed, covering her face with a hand. "How about the week after?"

"Camping trip with the students."

"I-"

Clara didn't get the chance to continue as loud music was heard coming from the other side of the wall. It sounded more like a guitar riff.

"Not again," she growled in frustration.

Every single time she was on a phone call with someone, her stupid, inconsiderate neighbour just had to choose the worst timing to play his guitar. Every single time. The whole town could probably hear how terrible he is. How old, or rather, young, does he think he is? 12?

"What?!" she yelled at the phone, having a hard time hearing what Danny was saying.

"I said, maybe you should just quit and move back to London."

Clara quickly trod upstairs to her bedroom where it was a bit quieter. Granted, she could still hear the music, but it wasn't as bad as in the kitchen. "Danny, you know I can't do that."

It was difficult enough finding a job after she obtained her PhD, working from one university to the next on a contract, rather than getting a permanent position, so when the university offered her a job, she couldn't say no. Moving away from London had been a difficult decision, but she couldn't continue living with uncertainty.

"Then just move away from him at least."

That was also something she couldn't do. Clara had discovered just how difficult it was to get a house that would allow pets, be affordable and not located too far away from her workplace.

Danny then sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put it like that," he said softly. "It's just that I miss you and we haven't seen each other for months now."

"I miss you, too," she replied. "But I'm swamped with work – can you believe that I have to work with the Doctor on open day?"

"It's bad enough he nearly ran me over this morning and then tried to block me from getting into the lift," she continued rambling.

"As I said, if you hate it so much, just quit."

Clara lost her patience, coupled with the fact that she could still hear the Doctor playing his guitar. "You think it's easy, don't you – I struggled to pay the bills before I got this job and you're asking me to leave it all just like that."

Her boyfriend knew he had screwed up, but it was unfair for him to take the full blame. "What I'm trying to-"

"No," she snapped. "I think this conversation is over."

She then hung up, tossing the mobile phone on the mattress and it bounced twice before landing on a pillow.

Clara was cross with Danny and she can deal with him later. Right now, her head was throbbing thanks to the loud music and she was going to do something about it. Why, just why did she have to live in a semi-detached house?

Marching out of the bedroom and down the stairs, she unlocked the front door before making her way to the Doctor's house, next to hers.

She lifted her hand and knocked as hard as she could, pretending it was his face she was hitting. When that didn't work, she kept pushing the button mounted on the wall until the music finally stopped.

No more than two seconds later, the front door swung open and she was greeted by the sight of the Scotsman in a pair of shades with a guitar hanging off his shoulder.

"Can I help you?" he asked, annoyed that someone had interrupted his jam session.

"Yes, you can kick yourself all the way to the moon."

"That's physically impossible," he answered gruffly, leaning against the frame and crossing his arms. "Honestly, I expected a bit of logic from a fellow mathematician."

Clara copied his move and crossed her arms too. "You know exactly why I'm here – your loud music could have woken the dead."

"In that case, you should be thanking me," the Doctor answered, nodding to her.

"At least I don't look half-dead like you!" she hissed. "How long has it been since you last slept – 2000 years ago, grandpa?"

John pursed his lips. "Maybe you're half-dead, too, but you're just hiding it underneath all that make-up."

"How dare you!"

While the two mathematicians were bickering, their neighbour, Mrs Taylor who lives across the street, had just returned home after buying some groceries and picking her daughter up from football practice.

"Look at that, Liz," she said quietly to her daughter. "Those two are arguing with each other again."

Liz Taylor, who was now used to seeing Clara and the Doctor arguing, merely shrugged. "Maybe they like each other."

"Oh, no doubt about it," her mother said, still observing them while her daughter went inside. "Maybe they just have a weird fetish," she guessed silently.

"The whole town can hear you!" Clara growled. "I bet aliens from outer space can hear you!"

"It wasn't that loud," John said defensively.

Their argument was suddenly interrupted when a meow was heard coming from the ground.

"Yes, Idris?" he asked with a softer tone.

Clara stared at the feline for a moment, mouth agape. "That's your cat?"

"Yes," he answered, brows furrowed.

"She's been eating Mr Darcy's food!"

John chuckled at her pet's name. "You call your cat Mr Darcy – are you 15?"

"Are you 12?" she countered. Her eyes then spotted what the inside of his home looked like. It was a mess with none of the furniture being in the right place, his coat laid out carelessly on the sofa, and his boots not even placed properly next to the staircase. "Well, I can see why your cat prefers eating with my cat – your house is a pig-sty!"

He glanced back. "Would you like to play house-maid and clean my living room?" he asked sarcastically. "And it's not that bad… your eyes are just pretentious!"

"So much for logic from a fellow mathematician," she retorted. "I wouldn't clean your house even if it makes you go away – not worth my time and energy."

"An experienced fellow mathematician," he corrected.

"I hate you," she hissed. "And guess what, old man, I'm going to be driving your car by the end of the academic year, but before that, I'm going to get it washed and cleaned."

John rolled his eyes. "That is, if you win – a big if."

Clara started moving backwards. "That's right, inflate that massive ego of yours."

That was just what she needed. If the Doctor lets his guard down, he might be susceptible to making a mistake that would cost him dearly.

He glowered at her, aware of the game she was playing. "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Yes," she answered. "Especially with the way you played the guitar and how you look right now."

"I was experimenting!" he argued before an idea struck him and he adjusted his guitar.

The Doctor then played Pretty Woman as Clara strode to her house.

"See!" he yelled. "I can play!"

She wasn't impressed with his skills at all, if anything, she was annoyed that he did that. What would the neighbours think? Oh, who cares. She was sure they were already thinking how weird she and the Doctor are anyway.

"What a daft man," she muttered, cheeks turning red as she entered her house. She will win the bet, by hook or by crook.


	4. Chapter 4

After Clara had told him off in the break room, he couldn't help but feel a bit strange. Strange as in he was speechless, his brain completely blanked out when she got so close to him.

The Doctor isn't the sort of person who enjoys physical contact. At least, not in the general sense. He especially hates hugging since, in his opinion, it's just a way to hide one's face. Even somebody being a bit too close to him would make him uncomfortable, but what had happened with Clara made him feel something different.

He would never ever admit it, but the way she threatened him was, well, for the lack of a better word, a turn on. Oh, he hated to say that in his head.

And this wasn't even the first time he had such thoughts. No doubt that his colleague is attractive. Even a blind person could tell Clara is beautiful, but she just gets on his nerves.

John had been trying to convince himself that he wasn't attracted to Clara since the told-off in the break room. Noticing an attractive woman and being attracted to her are two different things, or so he says to himself.

These thoughts were what led him to plug his electric guitar into the amplifier when he returned home later in the evening, as he needed to convince himself that he felt nothing for the Impossible Girl. By playing the guitar loudly, she should be irritated enough to come barging to his home.

That's exactly what happened, but not the way he expected things to turn out.

The Doctor had expected them to argue, as they always would, but he didn't expect her to point out that his pet cat had been stealing so-called 'Mr Darcy's' food. What surprised him, even more, was when he played Pretty Woman as she walked back to her home.

Where did that come from?

He glanced at the black cat that was still staring at him.

"What?" John asked, leaning against the door. He then squinted his eyes. "Is it true you've been stealing her cat's food?"

Idris remained silent but slowly wagged her long tail.

"I thought you like the food I give you?"

Clara's cat certainly likes it. Why else would Mr Darcy pop into his home every now and then?

Without uttering a sound, the feline turned around and headed for the comfy cat bed located in the kitchen.

The troubled mathematician returned to his bedroom and placed the electric guitar against the wall. Well, his day today had turned out to be quite interesting. The plan he hatched was both a success and failure.

It did nothing to stop the strange feeling in his chest and stomach, and to top it off, he had to figure out a way to stop arguing with the woman, after being told off by his sister. It would be next to impossible to do that.

Every attempt to start a civilised conversation with Clara always ended up with them insulting one another. There was tension between them, no doubt.

"Get over yourself, she doesn't fancy you at all and you hate her," he said to himself, but the more he said it, the more it felt like a lie, at least on his part.

\-- 

"It would help if you were honest with her."

The Doctor immediately snapped out of his thoughts and looked directly at his sister who was seated across the table.

The siblings were currently in the university dining hall, having lunch together. It was a rare occurrence for the both to spend time with one another so John couldn't complain, as much as he wanted to.

"What?"

The vice-chancellor set down the knife and fork she held. "Your girlfriend."

Her brother massaged his temple. "For the last time, she is not my girlfriend."

"Not yet."

"That's not going to happen."

Missy continued eating her meal in silence and John did the same.

After a few minutes, he spotted a familiar figure walking through the hall and straight for the food section. His blue eyes were trained on her.

The Doctor hadn't seen Clara since he arrived to work earlier. It was one of those rare days where he hadn't nearly run her over with his vehicle.

She wore a rather dull polka-dotted skirt, along with a jumper and the usual leather jacket. Great, the woman just had to come here to have lunch.

Missy set down the cutleries she held once more, staring at her idiot brother. Sometimes she wished she could do something about his silly feud with the Oswald girl. "Would you like to know the secret to finally end this childish rivalry once and for all?" she murmured, tearing him out of his thoughts.

John arched a brow, curious, but cautious at the same time. "What would that secret be?"

His sister stared at him blankly, dabbing her mouth with a tissue. "Shag her."

"Excuse me?!" he nearly yelled.

"Just shag each other's brains out and I guarantee there will be no more fighting," she continued, tossing the tissue onto the tray. "In fact, I think your best bud will die of happiness if he finds out, which I don't mind."

John had his mouth agape as he could not believe what he had heard.

"Don't pretend you don't fancy her and that you've never fantasised it."

"I don't," he growled, feeling his face reddening.

Missy merely chuckled. "You're a terrible liar, John Smith."

"I am not-"

"You have a telling – you pout when you lie."

Bollocks.

"I don't fancy Clara Oswald."

Missy shrugged. "Nobody believes that."

John groaned and massaged his temples.

His sister smirked as she got to her feet. "Be a good brother and put my tray away, will you?"

"Fine," he grumbled, collecting both trays and rose from the chair.

"And I don't pout," he said quietly.

While making his way to the corner of the dining hall where all the dirty dishes were stacked, the Doctor made eye contact with the very person he was trying to avoid.

"Emperor of Attack Eyebrows."

"Empress of all control freaks."

Clara pursed her lips. "I am not a control freak!"

John ignored her and proceeded to discard the trays. He wasn't about to start a full-blown argument with her in the open, especially a dining hall filled with students.

"Bloody idiot," she grumbled, walking away.

Slowly, he looked back and watched as Clara sat down in the middle of the hall which was quickly filling up with more students.

He does not fancy her, and he does not want to shag her.

"And sometimes when we touch," Jack sang as he startled the life out of his colleague and friend. "The honesty's too much, and I have to close my eyes and hide."

"Jack, if you do that one more time, I'll hit you with my shoe."

"Bet you say that to everyone who serenades to you," he replied, wriggling his eyebrows. "Except maybe Clara."

The Doctor said nothing as he walked out of the dining hall. He has a lecture soon.

\-- 

Dr Clara Oswald walked briskly as she made her way to Lecture Theatre 12. It was three minutes before her lesson starts and she didn't want to be tardy.

What surprised her, however, when she arrived at her destination, was that her students were still waiting outside.

"The lecture's still running," a student stated simply.

Clara sighed, adjusting the binder which contained her lecture notes. "Should have ended minutes ago," she muttered, pushing the door and stepping inside.

"Now then, we ignore w, the vertical coordinate, because there was no mention of it in the question," the Doctor explained, looking down at his notes. "So, it's safe to assume w is zero and I'm sure you can find the rate of change of the temperature by yourselves."

When he looked up, he was staring at a very angry looking woman, or rather, elf. She had her arms crossed and he could have sworn he saw steam coming out of her ears.

"Your lecture was supposed to end," she said looking at her imaginary wristwatch. "Four minutes ago."

"I lost track of time – it happens," he defended, shutting his notebook.

Clara then looked out the door. "You can come in."

A moment later, her students were flooding into the lecture room.

"Would it kill you to ask me nicely?" he grunted before looking at his own students. "We'll continue our discussion next week," he stated, and everyone began packing their belongings, eager to leave.

"I thought you were always on time for everything, including almost hitting me with your car."

Here they go again.

While the two lecturers were arguing, their students began talking. Gossiping, to put it more appropriately.

"Do you think they fancy each other?" one young man asked.

"Seems like it," another answered. "I thought they were married at first."

"Yeah, same."

Another group was also in a conversation regarding their infamous lecturers.

"When will they ever stop arguing with each other?"

"The day they tie the knot," retorted a female student. "By the way, did you hear that Damian's house was robbed last week?"

"What?"

"Yeah, his laptop and XBOX were stolen."

"This is the third time I heard about homes being broken into."

"No surprises at all with how things are running."

The two students quickly walked past their lecturers who were still having a verbal argument.

"Could you please stop and just leave?" Clara demanded as she placed her things on the small desk, nearly knocking off John's notebook.

"Watch it!" he grumbled, putting on his coat. "Is it so difficult for you to talk politely?"

"I will, once you apologise."

John furrowed his brows in confusion. "For what?"

"Delaying my lecture."

He grabbed his notebook and smiled sarcastically. "No," was all he said before leaving.

Clara kept clenching and unclenching her right fist as she followed his figure all the way to the door. Such an insufferable man.

More than anything else, she wasn't looking forward to working with him. In fact, the very idea of it made her dread open day all together.

It was at that moment the lecturer realised that her students were staring at her, waiting for the lesson to start. They had witnessed the whole thing. Fantastic.

She cleared her throat. "Where did we stop last Monday?" she asked the first years. "Differentiation of hyperbolic functions – we've looked at the inverse of cosh, right?"

There were murmurs of agreement as the sounds of paper being flipped and torn, and pens being clicked were heard.

At least her students were slowly starting to forget the embarrassing incident they just witnessed.

\-- 

The Doctor couldn't believe he had to work on a Saturday. He could have spent the time travelling to London or even playing guitar, but no, he had to give a taster session. With no one other than Clara Oswald.

He slammed on the breaks when he saw a familiar bike approaching the gate. She didn't look all that happy either.

The university was still empty as it was only 8:57 AM and visitors wouldn't start flooding in until after 10 in the morning.

The two mathematicians glared at each other before John allowed Clara to drive in first. Better not make a scene when there are already a few people present, mostly comprised of university staff.

He quickly parked his car and then raced to the lift, not wanting to share it with the Impossible Girl.

"Why don't you take the stairs for a change?" Clara sneered as she reached the building a few seconds after he did.

"Why don't you do it first?" he countered. "Seems to me like you could use it since you can't even run."

"You're taller than me, PhD holder," she growled, wondering why the lift took longer than usual.

"Greetings to the most beautiful couple in the universe!" Jack exclaimed as he walked in.

Clara and the Doctor glared at their colleague. "What are you doing here?"

"To give a talk about our department, of course!" he replied cheerfully. "And I get to spend it with you stunning people."

The lift finally arrived.

Jack grinned. "But before that, I'm going to get myself a cup of joe – you guys want anything?"

"I'm good, Jack – thank you."

"No."

He shrugged before walking away while Clara and John entered the lift. "Don't do anything I would in the elevator," he said, winking.

The only response he got were looks of disgust.

John pressed the button to the fourth floor and a moment later, the doors closed before they were elevated up to their destination.

There was nothing but silence inside the small, confined space until the lights began to dim, and the lift came to a sudden halt.

Bloody. Hell.


	5. Chapter 5

Professor Missy Smith had a brilliant idea in mind when she woke up earlier in the morning.

She was still receiving complaints regarding her brother and Dr Oswald, and if he wouldn't do anything about it, she would have no choice but to step in.

What's the plan? Simple. Open day gave the perfect opportunity to set her idea in motion.

The vice-chancellor strode into the security office and slammed the door opened after scanning her card, startling the occupant inside.

Henry Alcott had been working as a security guard at the university for almost ten years and during those years, he had never met a vice-chancellor as scary as the woman who was standing before him.

"Ma'am," he greeted politely as he stood up.

"I need you to do a tiny little favour for me," she purred.

His eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"I need security feed of the main entrance," she said, and he immediately typed something on the keyboard.

Henry then moved aside so that Missy can have a look at the monitor. She knew her brother would be at the university at any moment, and if her guessing is correct, so would Clara Oswald.

At exactly 8:57 AM, her brother's car and Clara were in view of the security feed.

She smiled, causing the hairs on Henry's arms to rise.

"You have control of the lifts, don't you?"

He nodded.

Her attention returned to the monitor. "We're going to play a little game."

Henry Alcott made a sign of the cross.

\-- 

"What did you do?!" Clara Oswald demanded as she glared at her colleague and rival. "You broke the bloody lift!"

"I didn't do anything!" John answered, mimicking the same expression. "All I did was press four."

Brilliant. Just brilliant. They were stuck in a bloody lift together for who knows how long.

"You must have pressed something else."

The Doctor ignored her as he then pushed the emergency button, silently praying that someone would answer.

"Yes?" a voice on the other end said. He sounded a bit nervous if John was completely honest.

"Hi, um, we're stuck in the lift," he explained awkwardly. "Henry, is that you?"

"Yes, right," he answered. "I'll have to see what's wrong so you'll… have to wait for a while."

"How long, exactly?" Clara asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

Henry didn't answer for a few seconds. "Ten, maybe twenty minutes?"

The Doctor let go of the emergency button and sighed. He really wished the lift would just start working again. It was getting a bit warm, too.

"I wished I had taken the stairs," Clara grumbled. "At least I wouldn't be stuck here – with you no less."

John rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "It's only going to take twenty minutes at most – stop whining."

"You're not the boss of me."

"No, you're the bossy one."

She pursed her lips and shut her eyes, wishing the nightmare would just end. "In that case, why don't you face the wall like a petulant child?"

"I'm not five!"

"No, you're 500."

The Doctor got closer and instinctively, Clara stepped back until she hit the wall as he towered over her. She got a whiff of his cologne which, as much as she hated to admit it, smells nice.

"At least I'm not an elf."

His colleague snorted and crossed her arms. "Is that all you've got?" she questioned. "Insulting my height?"

"What about you?" he countered. "With age?"

Just as Clara was about to give another remark, she heard the Doctor's phone ringing.

He didn't seem all that pleased when looking at the caller ID. "It's Jack," he stated before answering.

"Where are you two lovebirds?" Jack asked. "Don't tell me you and Clara are actually smooching in there."

The Doctor groaned. "We're stuck in the lift."

What surprised him, however, was that Jack began laughing hysterically, up to the point where Clara could hear him.

"My wish came true!"

The two mathematicians exchanged looks.

"Just go and make out, I mean, make-up while I go to security," Jack said and hanged up, not giving his colleague the chance to explain that he had already called Henry.

"Great, just great," Clara growled. "I'm stuck in here with you and people will get an even wrong idea of us."

"Don't flatter yourself, Dr Oswald- I don't fancy you."

She wished the lift would start moving this very moment or maybe that the Scottish bastard would get sucked into the ground. The latter seems like a better option.

\-- 

"How long are you planning to keep them in there?" Henry asked, after feeling brave and safe enough to do so. He had many rumours surrounding the woman sitting in his chair. One of them included how she singlehandedly beat up four thugs with nothing but an umbrella at a tube station.

Missy shrugged. "Until they settle their differences."

"That might take an eternity."

"It won't be long until something happens," she predicted.

Suddenly, the door to the office swung opened and Jack stepped in. The grin on his face dropped when he saw the vice-chancellor. "Professor Smith."

She acknowledged his present before returning to the monitor.

"You're behind this," he muttered in realisation.

"Yes, well done, Harkness," she replied sarcastically. "A gold star for you."

He then regained his composure. "So, what's the plan?"

"You breathe a word of this, and it's the end of your career," Missy warned. She might as well kill two birds with one stone since the opportunity had presented itself.

"Ok," Jack answered warily.

"The plan is simple," she began. "Get them to sort out their differences."

The vice-chancellor activated the lift briefly which caused the occupants to hold on to the wall for support.

"Go to the ground floor and wait there," she told Jack before looking at the security guard. "Tell the two idiots everything will be back to normal soon."

"Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch," the lecturer sang as he left the room.

\-- 

"Why did the lift move just now?" Clara inquired, looking up and then back at the control panel.

"I'm guessing they're still fixing whatever is wrong," the Doctor stated, examining the buttons as his colleague stood behind him.

"Are you seriously trying to fix that thing?" she asked, arms crossed. "You might make it worse."

"I can give it a try," he replied, producing a pocket screwdriver.

She was stunned at the sight of the tool. "Seriously, John?"

He turned around and glanced at her. That was the first time since the fight started that she had called him by his real name. "Slip of the tongue, Dr Oswald?"

The speaker then crackled. "I just want to let you know that the lift will be in operation shortly," Henry said. "The technician is making sure everything is… wired correctly."

"Thanks," John said, stowing away the pocket screwdriver.

Clara sighed, grateful they were interrupted. "At least this farce is coming to an end."

"Really?" he added. "I was hoping we'd be stuck here for another hour or two," the Doctor said sarcastically.

Suddenly, the lift jolted down, surprising the two and not giving them enough time to hang on to something for support.

Clara tumbled forward, crashing into the Doctor and bringing them both to the floor. Her lips then landed directly on his, shocking both mathematicians.

The lift doors slid open, giving Jack, who was waiting for them, a good view of the compromising position they were in.

A grin formed on his face. "Merciful God," he muttered, leaning against as he felt his legs getting weak. "It's finally happened!"

Clara was the first to react by pushing herself away from John and wiping her lips. She had just kissed the Doctor. She just kissed the Scottish bastard. The man she loathed.

John remained on the floor, frozen, thanks to the intimate contact.

"That was sexual harassment!" she growled.

His brain started working again and he knitted his eyebrows. "You were the one who kissed me!"

"You were in my way."

"Lovers' quarrel!" Jack interrupted and their bickering came to a halt. "You do realise the cat's out of the bag, and you don't have to pretend anymore, right?"

John slowly got to his feet, feeling slightly wobbly, unsure of whether it was due to the kiss or the unstable lift. Perhaps both. He touched his lips as they were still burning.

Out of nowhere, his sister appeared, looking calm and collected as she usually would. Brilliant. More audience.

"What's going on here?" she asked as if she didn't have a single clue what had transpired before.

Jack couldn't give a coherent answer as he started talking gibberish and laughing at the same time. She felt a bit disappointed he didn't die of happiness. More importantly, he didn't drop dead.

The Doctor was still somewhat dumbstruck and didn't really comprehend what his sister was saying.

Clara was the only normal person. She cleared her throat and dropping her hand that was still touching her lips. "We were stuck in a lift."

This was the very first time she ever spoke to the vice-chancellor.

"Is that so?" Missy replied. "So, what happened then?"

John and Clara exchanged looks.

"Nothing," he said hastily. "She… um… crashed into me because her short legs couldn't sustain her."

His rival stared at him in disbelief. "Stop insulting my height," she grumbled.

Missy smiled. "Is that all that happened?"

Jack shook his head before he finally regained his voice. "They… they… they…," he struggled to explain what he had seen and made kissing gestures with hands.

"Ignore him, he's delusional," the Doctor said as he pushed his friend away.

"Yeah, he hasn't had his morning coffee, yet," Clara added.

The vice-chancellor decided to let it go as she was pleased her plan had worked, despite not killing Jack in the process. "I do believe Jack has a talk to give soon and please behave yourselves – we have guests."

Clara and John ushered their colleague into the lift.

"I'll take care of it," the Doctor said before closing the lift doors and took them to the Department of Mathematics.

"Do not breathe a word of this to anyone," he said sternly to Jack who was still grinning.

"Seriously, it was an accident," Clara explained. "Like I would ever kiss someone like him."

"What does that mean?" John demanded. "Don't flatter yourself, Dr Oswald, because I didn't like the kiss one bit."

"Guys," Jack said, resting his arms on their shoulder. "The jinx is up – stop pretending you hate each other."

They finally reached the fourth floor and the door slid open. All three stepped out.

"We are not an item," Clara insisted.

Jack shrugged as he checked the time. "Would you look at that?" he exclaimed. "I am going to be late for the talk."

As he walked away, he sang: "Past the point of no return, the final threshold what warm, unspoken secrets will we learn?"

The two lecturers remained in their spot and avoiding any sort of eye contact.

John headed for his office while Clara planned to go to the restroom. They nearly bumped into each other.

"Just heading to my office," he said awkwardly, staring at the carpeted floor.

"Need to use the loo."

They got out of each other's paths and headed their respective ways.

John never felt so strange in his entire existence, as far as he could remember. He unlocked the office door quickly and then leaned against it to shut it.

His lips felt weird, his stomach feels as if it's spinning and he couldn't get the image of Clara lying on top of him out of his head.

The Doctor needed a distraction, but the only image he saw in his mind was Clara Oswald, her wide eyes as they kissed.

"Think of something else," he whispered. "10 times 12 is 120, the square root of 144 is 12, cosine pi is minus one," he rambled, but it did nothing to ease his mind.

He checked the time. 10:20 AM.

People are going to be flooding the lecture room soon for the taster session and he needed to regain his composure.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as she entered the restroom, Clara checked the stalls and was glad to find all of them empty. She chose the last one and locked the door.

What had just happened?

It couldn't have. She kissed the Doctor. That's a fact, and no matter how many times she tried telling herself she was in a dream, everything felt more and more real.

It was an accident, so it didn't count as cheating. Oh God, how is she ever going to look at the Scottish bastard the same way ever again?

She tried to calm her mind. It wasn't a big deal. She had kissed other men before. So why was this any different? It felt different and left her feeling as if she was on cloud nine. It was a feeling she never felt when kissing Danny or any of her previous boyfriends. A spark.

No, that can't be right. She hates the Doctor's guts, so kissing him would repulse her, but that wasn't what she felt at all. How could she be attracted to someone who nearly hit her with his car, calls her a she-devil and control freak, and insults her height?

"Ok, just calm down," Clara told her self, closing the toilet and sitting on the lid after making sure it was clean.

She hates him and he hates her.

But his lips felt so soft against hers and despite his scrawny appearance, the Doctor felt like a really cuddly teddy bear. He felt so soft.

It then occurred to her that he never got angry over the kiss.

Maybe her nan is right.

"Nope," she said out loud, rising to her feet.

What a ridiculous thought that the Doctor likes her, and it would be even more absurd if she feels the same way. She has a boyfriend. A loving and caring boyfriend who respects her.

The things she felt earlier were definitely a mistake. She was probably just confused after the fall. That's all.

With her back straight, she left the stall and walked out of the restroom.

Just as she was about to reach her office, John's door swung open before he stepped out, his mind clearly somewhere else.

"Oh," the Doctor said when he caught sight of her.

"Lecture room?" she asked awkwardly, unsure of what to say. A group of people walked past them.

No doubt they're visitors.

"Yes," he answered, eyes looking at the wall behind her before walking away quickly.

Clara entered her office and slid her bag down to the floor.

How on earth is she supposed to concentrate when it's her turn to deliver the lecture? The Doctor might stick around since the Q&A session would start immediately after. As a matter of fact, she wasn't sure what to expect from the taster session.

Maybe she should sneak in and see what it will be like. Yes, that way, she would be more prepared. Besides, she had only taken part in open day twice, before she worked at the university.

Silently, she trailed behind a father and daughter who were heading in the same direction.

The Doctor was busy looking down at his notes when she entered the room and Clara took the opportunity to sneak into the back row, hoping that he wouldn't notice her.

She sat down next to a group of students and waited for the lecture to start.

John finally looked up after a few minutes. The smile he had playing on his lips disappeared when he spotted the Impossible Girl among the crowd.

Clara shifted in her seat a bit. She had a feeling he was staring directly at her, but he couldn't possibly spot her in this sort of crowd, could he?

The Doctor cleared his throat before giving an introductory speech.

"One of the modules first years will have to take is Vector Calculus, which I teach," he explained. "The topics we usually cover in it are multivariable differential calculus, vector and the cartesian equation of straight lines in 3D, Green's Theorem, Stoke's Theorem, just to name a few."

John the produced a whiteboard marker from the pocket of his trousers.

"You may be familiar with the derivative of a function with one variable, but how do you differentiate a function with two unknowns, say x and y," he continued, writing an equation on the board. "Suppose we have f equals to x squared plus y squared."

Clara listened intently to his lecture, despite her being knowledgeable in the same area. There was something about the way the Doctor spoke that caught everybody's attention, and she wasn't spared from the spell either.

For the next twenty minutes, he carried on with the lecture and stopped after giving a brief explanation of a theorem.

What she couldn't help but notice is how he kept glancing in her direction every few minutes.

"And that's basically an idea of what the module is like," he said. "I could explain to you how crop rotation can be described by differential equations, but that's a story for another day, but there's going to be another lecture now."

Yep. It's confirmed he could see her in all this crowd. How? She could think about that later as it was her turn to give a talk. She rose to her feet and descended to the front.

The lecture room began resounding with murmurs while the Doctor sat down in an empty seat in the front row. He's probably there to stick around for the Q&A session afterwards.

Clara walked past him and reached the desktop.

Before all of this mess, John Smith planned to have stayed in his office while Clara delivered her lecture, but as soon as he spotted her at the back, his brain and body just weren't quite under his control anymore.

She smiled at the audience nervously, introduced herself and joked a bit that she was probably going to make a mistake somewhere down the line since this was the first time she had ever done a taster session.

Clara could see John crossing his arms, expression the same as always. The resting angry owl-face.

"So one of the first year modules that I teach here is Calculus," she began. "I know it sounds unoriginal and boring, but I didn't come up with the module name," she joked once more.

A few people smiled and laughed quietly.

"As my colleague explained in the previous lecture, differential equations can be used to described nature, and the simplest differential equation is a first-order ordinary differential equation."

She continued the explanation with examples and dived into more complicated equations before finishing off with second-order differential equations.

She had half-expected the Doctor to interrupt her at any given moment, but he never did, and she wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Maybe he was just as affected by the kiss like her.

"Any questions?" Clara asked awkwardly before John stood up and joined her at the front of the room.

"You can come up front and ask personally if you'd like," he added.

"You two working together on the same research?" a familiar voice asked teasingly.

The Doctor pursed his lips as he spotted Jack sitting in the middle of the room. It looks like he had blended in with the crowd. "No, we're not."

A girl raised her hand. "Are we going to learn higher order differential equations?"

Now that was something Clara could easily and happily answer. "No, in your first year, it's just up to second-order odes," she explained. "Even if you do come across something more complicated as you progress further, we'd usually just try to reduce it to a simpler equation, so technically yes."

Another girl raised her hand. "Are all modules in first year compulsory or do we get to choose?"

"Compulsory, but the good news is that you have several optional modules starting from second year," the Doctor stated. "And in third and fourth year, all modules are optional, except for the dissertation."

The two lecturers continued answering queries for the next ten minutes and as soon as they were done and the visitors had left, Clara Oswald immediately dashed out of the room.

Only the Doctor and Jack remained.

"I have to say that you guys look good working together," he commented, walking down the steps. "There can't be a more iconic duo."

"Shut up, Jack," John growled as he turned around and reached for the whiteboard eraser on the desk.

"Oh come, both of you have done the deed, so just stop acting and say it."

The Doctor looked back, brows furrowed. "Say what?"

Jack Harkness rolled his eyes. "That you like her, well, more than like her."

He turned around and continued to clean the whiteboard. "I don't."

His colleague pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, it's pretty damn obvious from your handsome face that you enjoyed it, so just admit it."

"She was disgusted by it, and so was I."

"She was pretending."

John tossed the eraser back on the desk. "Yeah, how'd you figure that one out?"

Jack pulled out an imaginary notepad and flipped through several pages. "Let's see now… she blushed, became your partner in crime while trying to cover up what happened when Missy showed up, the both of you have stopped fighting, and finally, and this is my favourite, she kept looking at you during the presentation."

The Doctor cursed mentally. His friend did have a point, but it meant nothing since there was no way Clara "The Impossible Girl" Oswald felt anything but hate for him.

Jack took his silence as confirmation. "Now here's the deal, you're going to march out of here and you're going to compliment her."

John looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "I'm not going to do that… that's weird!"

"No, it's not," his friend argued. "What's weird is the both of you acting weird."

"I'm not going to do anything because I do not fancy Clara Oswald," the Doctor grumbled.

Jack shook his head. "So many lies in one day," he murmured before wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "How about this, I promise I won't tell a soul about your massive crush on her, but I get to tell everyone what happened in the lift."

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak. His colleague does have a point. If it wasn't Jack, then someone else would surely spread the rumours. There's just one problem, though. "What makes you think I have a so-called 'massive' crush on her?"

"Do you want me to pull out my imaginary notepad again?"

"Fine," he growled. "Maybe, perhaps, there's a chance that I do like… her a bit, but just a bit."

Jack grinned. "It's a start!" he exclaimed, patting his best bud on the back. "Now go talk to her."

"Why?" John whined. He was bad at socialising, especially talking to women.

"Because we can end this ridiculous rivalry once and for all and I get to be god-father and have my future nieces and nephews call me Don Harkness, instead of boring Uncle Jack."

Jack began pushing the Doctor out of the room and towards Clara's office. Much to his dismay, the door was locked. He even knocked a couple of times, hoping that she would be inside.

John, on the other hand, was relieved to have missed her. He needed time to reflect on what happened earlier in the morning. "Oh look, she's gone home – what a pity."

"Talk to her when you go home, now you can start with compliments," Jack stated. "Think of something about her."

He thought for a few seconds and said: "She's built like a man."

"No, that's not a compliment," Jack sighed. "She might hate you even more for saying that and why would you think that?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Look, I'm exhausted, and I just want to leave."

"Fine, if you can't do compliments, sing to her."

"No."

"Then say you'll share with me one love one lifetime, let me lead you from your solitude," Jack sang.

"No."

"I can love you like that, I would make you my world, move heaven and earth if you were my girl."

"Absolutely not," growled the Doctor as he strode away.

"We'll continue our lesson on how to hit Clara Oswald on Monday!"

John dreaded the coming Monday. Word would surely buzz around that he had kissed Clara, even if it was by accident. What he dreaded even more, however, was facing her again. How could he look at her the same way?

It felt nice to have her lips on his. It felt nice when she was lying on top of him.

It looks like the Doctor's crush on Clara Oswald was getting worse, or rather, bigger.


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as she ran out of the lecture room, Clara had one objective in mind: to return home and just lie down in bed watching a mindless drama. Her mind was going haywire. She felt as if she was slowly descending into madness after what transpired earlier in the day.

As she drove her motorcycle into the driveway, she froze when she caught sight of a familiar figure sitting on the steps of her house.

The man smiled warmly at her and rose to his feet, a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Danny," she said, wondering what the hell her boyfriend was doing here. He should be in London and not standing in front of her.

"Hey," he greeted and approached her. "I wanted to surprise you… I felt bad about our previous talk and thought I'd come down here and spend some time with you," he explained. "Only got a few hours, though, before I have to catch my train."

The last thing she wanted to do right now was spending time with her boyfriend, or anyone for that matter. She needed to relax and think clearly. Hell, there's even more scripts that needed to be marked. More importantly, Clara wasn't sure how to look at Danny in the eyes. She had just kissed another man a few hours ago and liked it.

She forced a smile, accepting the flowers. "This is… quite the surprise."

He frowned, noticing right through her. "You're not happy that I'm here."

"Of course, I am, don't be ridiculous," she laughed. Was it that obvious?

Danny still wasn't entirely convinced that his girlfriend was all that pleased. She seemed annoyed and distracted, he observed as he trailed behind her into the house.

Regardless, as soon as they were inside, he bent down and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Just as Clara thought, there was no spark. She really wanted to prove herself wrong but got a different conclusion instead. One she wasn't entirely pleased about.

Mr Darcy raced down the steps and greeted his owner by rubbing against her leg. The feline completely ignored the school teacher.

"He still doesn't like me," the former soldier commented as he followed her into the living room.

"He's always like that with everyone except me," Clara lied, in an effort to prevent her boyfriend's feeling from getting hurt. "So, what brings you here anyway?" she asked, searching for an empty vase in one of the drawers.

Danny furrowed his brows in confusion. "I wanted to surprise you."

"Oh, right, yeah," she answered automatically.

"Is everything alright, Clara?"

"Yes," she answered immediately. "Just had a bit of a crazy day at work," she explained, unsure of why she had trouble mentioning about the kiss. It was an accident and just a small matter.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked gently, grabbing her hand and caressing the back of it with his thumb.

She sighed and pulled her hand away. Where should she begin? "It's the Doctor, he-"

Danny's comforting smile immediately dropped, and Clara was the one now looking confused.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she inquired.

"I don't understand why you have to mention him every time we talk," Danny complained. "Maybe you should just quit-"

"You were one asking me to talk about my problems," she snapped. "And what do you think will happen once I quit?"

"It's not like another job is going to fall from the sky," she added angrily.

Their relationship had been strained since Clara moved away and it wasn't about to get any better from the looks of it.

"I can't do this anymore," he sighed, shocking her. "It's as if you don't care about our relationship."

"What?" she stated. "I do-"

"I just can't believe anything you say anymore – you rarely answer my calls and texts, and just can't stop mentioning this 'Doctor'."

First the Doctor and now Danny. She sunk down on the sofa. "I'm sorry, but I just lost track of time, the research the lectures, the bet," she said by accident.

Danny tilted his head slightly as he stared at his girlfriend. "What bet?"

"Oh, that, well, there's this bet... that I made… with the Doctor-"

He raised both his arms in resignation. "That's it, I don't think I want to find," he announced and massaged his forehead. "Maybe we should just take a break."

Clara couldn't believe her ears. No doubt it will lead to a break-up. "Danny…"

"No," he said, shaking her hand off his arm. "Maybe it will give you enough time to think whether I'm your boyfriend or if the Doctor is," he said gently with a sad tone. "It certainly feels like the latter."

"Danny, wait," she said, following to the door.

"I'll call you… whenever that is," he stated before stepping outside.

When she could no longer see him, she angrily slammed the door shut, causing Mr Darcy to flinch and hide underneath the sofa.

Clara silently wiped her watery eyes. Fine. They might as well break-up. She knew it was coming but ignored the signs and assured herself she was just overthinking. Here she is now, shedding tears.

She sniffed and hugged herself, leaning against the door for support.

Her pet meowed before running up to her and purred, rubbing his head against her ankle.

Clara laughed at her cat's attempt to cheer her up. "Come on, Mr Darcy," she said. "Let's get a tub of ice-cream, put on my pyjamas and stay in bed all day long."

\-- 

The Doctor pulled his vehicle into the driveway and as soon as the car came to a halt, he killed the engine but didn't immediately leave. Instead, he quietly observed the massive bike parked next to his home.

He wondered if she truly felt something more than hate for him, especially after what Jack had mentioned.

John exited the vehicle and entered his home quickly since it was getting colder by the second.

Idris merely stared at her master from her bed as he took off his jacket and scarf, too sleepy and lazy to greet him.

"Have you been sleeping all day long?" he inquired, getting on one knee and softly rubbing her head.

She purred.

After an early dinner, the Doctor decided to retreat into the study and pick up his guitar. The musical instrument kept him company whenever his mind wasn't at ease.

His fingers strummed the strings, playing random tunes.

Admitting that he fancies Clara made him feel a bit better, though he hopes that Jack would keep that a secret. There's no telling when it comes to that lunatic.

The Doctor smiled in amusement as he wondered how his sister would react to the rumour. She's probably figured out what truly happened in the lift.

He leaned back against the office chair and glanced out the window. It was pitch black outside, but he could still recognise a neighbour's car, Clara's bike, and something that caught his attention immediately. There were two individuals on a scooter just in front of her house.

John slanted forward to get a better look at the two men who dismounted. They wore all black with helmets covering their faces. One of them approached the front door while the other was on guard.

He set the guitar against the wall and pulled out his phone, calling the police.

After the brief call, he debated whether to stop the thieves. He doubted he could do much, but he didn't want anything untoward to happen to Clara, so he raced downstairs and ran out.

Never in his life had he encountered a thief before, and he wasn't entirely sure what to say or do when he stood in front of her house. The door was ajar and lock completely broken. Silently, he stepped inside and immediately spotted one of the robbers.

The man had his back facing him as he was busy rummaging through the drawers.

"Hey!" the Doctor growled, startling him at first before he faced him.

While John was distracted, the other man, who was halfway through upstairs, quietly descended down the steps, and produced a knife, sneaking up on him.

"I've always wondered why there's a correlation between pudding brains and petty theft."

As the man with the knife finally planted both feet on the ground, ready to attack the Doctor, the weapon was kicked from his grasp, sending it flying into the living room.

John turned around and saw Clara swinging her helmet at the man. He even heard a cat hissing.

The other thief took the opportunity to charge towards him, but he easily flipped the man and pushed him down to the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

With his partner knocked out, the other thief dashed for the door and ran to the scooter.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked, stepping over the unconscious man.

Clara merely nodded, despite her whole body shaking. "Yeah," she said. "Where did you learn to do that?" she asked in amazement.

He shrugged. "Spent a year in Japan some time ago and learned aikido."

"Used to teach taekwondo to a group of Year 7s."

"Nobody asked," John retorted, in an effort to calm her nerves. "I mean, it's good you did."

They heard sirens in the background.

When John took a good look at Clara, he noticed that her eyes were puffy and red and that her hands were still shaking. He furrowed his brows. "Are you sure you're fine – you look like you've-"

"Don't," she warned, eyes filled with anger.

"Um, I think you should drink some water – would you like some?" he asked. It was the least he could do after she saved him from getting stabbed and possibly murdered.

"Yes," she whispered, leaning against the railing of the staircase for support while John rushed to the kitchen.

The police finally arrived when he came back with a glass of water.

The thief was arrested and hauled into a police vehicle while Clara and the Doctor gave their statements. A small crowd eventually gathered around, consisting of concerned and nosy neighbours.

"We've actually been after these two for a month now," said the officer. "You actually knocked one of them out cold."

"He was about to attack me," John stated.

"Thanks to you, we have a suspect and I'm certain we'll apprehend his partner soon," continued the police officer before he turned to Clara. "Would you like to have a police vehicle parked outside your home?"

She shook her head. "No, I doubt he'll come back."

"Yes, but it's not advisable for you to be alone since the lock is completely broken," argued the officer gently. "Maybe you could stay with a friend or relative," he finished before walking away.

The Doctor and Clara were finally left alone, while Mr Darcy lingered in the kitchen, drinking some water from the bowl on the floor.

John cleared his throat and hid his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "If you don't have anywhere to go, you can always have my sofa," he offered.

His colleague stared at him as if he had declared his love for her. "Just this morning, we were throwing insults at one another and now you're helping me?"

"You… um… saved my life, remember?"

Suddenly, Clara smiled smugly. "I guess I did, didn't I?" she said. "You owe me."

"Yes," he growled. "Why do you think I'm offering shelter to a now practically homeless woman and her pet cat?"

The smug look never vanished from her face. "I'll go get some of my belongings."

At least she has something to distract her mind.

He crossed his arms and stood tall in the hallway. "Be quick about it before I decide to lock you out."

"Need I remind you that you owe me?" she stated, going upstairs.

After ten minutes of waiting and impatiently pacing around the living room, he finally saw her emerging from the staircase, Mr Darcy following his owner. "Were you looking for things or making them from scratch?"

"I just needed to get some important stuff, alright?" she retorted, lifting the black backpack.

"Fine," he sighed. "Ready?"

"No, not really," she replied, causing John to roll his eyes. "If you lived in Japan for a year, does that mean you can speak Japanese?"

"Yes."

"Prove it."

"Look, let's just go," he grumbled, walking out of the house. He spotted Mrs Taylor staring at them. "Can I help you?" he half-shouted from across the street and she scurried away.

Clara crossed her arms. "No need to be rude to her and just say something, come on – I've never met anyone who spoke Japanese before."

" _Watashi wa anata ga suki desu_."

She was impressed at how he spoke fluently. "What does that mean?" she asked, shutting the door after Mr Darcy stepped out.

"You're an elf."

Clara pursed her lips, thinking he was insulting her yet again. "Are we seriously getting into another argument, Dr Pouty Face?"

The Doctor could only glare at her as they now stood in front of his home. Damn his inability to lie.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor unlocked the front door and stepped aside to let his guests in first.

The living room was dimly lit as the only light that was on was the tall lamp in one corner of the room. A sofa was situated in the middle, behind a glass coffee table which was piled with unmarked scripts.

Mr Darcy caught sight of Idris sleeping on her bed in the kitchen and he immediately ran to her. The orange tabby sniffed her cautiously as the now awake black feline did the same. After a few moments, she climbed onto the soft mattress and Mr Darcy joined her, settling on the empty spot on the bed.

"There's the sofa there," John said awkwardly before Clara dropped her backpack next to the armchair. "Make yourself at home and the bathroom is down the hallway to your left," he explained, despite knowing that their houses practically have the same design.

"Thanks," she replied and looked around.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "I'll be upstairs," he announced, turning around. "There's an extra duvet behind the door next to the bathroom."

"Wait," Clara said, and John stopped in his tracks. She locked eyes with him. "I… thank you… for letting me sleep on your sofa for the night and for helping… I… I don't know what would have happened if I had to take them on by myself."

The stern expression on the Doctor's face softened, realising just how vulnerable she was if he hadn't shown up. "You're welcome, I'm glad I was of help."

She stepped closer towards him. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

She didn't feel any sort of spark with Danny when he kissed her and she wanted to know badly if what she felt when she kissed the Doctor was real, that she wasn't imagining the whole thing.

Without warning. Clara got on her toes and rested her hands on the Doctor's shoulders before crashing her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck in order to get him closer to her.

He froze, surprised by the physical contact as he had thought she was about to hug him. Before he even got the chance to kiss her back, she pulled away, face scarlet red.

"I… I'm sorry," she stammered, keeping some distance between them. "I have no idea what came over me – sorry."

The Doctor had absolutely no idea what to say as he was sure that his brain had short-circuited. He nodded silently before turning around and walking upstairs.

Clara wanted to do nothing more than to get swallowed by the ground. What on earth possessed her to kiss her colleague?

She collapsed on the sofa, skin still tingling, lips burning and stomach feeling strange. At least she finally got her answer. She felt the spark.

The mathematician hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. The kiss felt nice, yet extremely awkward and she wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign that the Doctor didn't say anything. He just left.

"What have I done," she muttered to herself.

Eventually, Clara lifted her head up and sighed. No point just loitering around. "Might as well work on that paper."

She spent the next two hours writing her research paper, though her mind kept being interrupted with the memory of kissing the Doctor. She was well on the road to falling for him, or perhaps, she already has.

\--

John wasn't able to get any sleep that night. His mind and heart were racing and spent hours tossing and turning in bed, trying to get some rest, but his body didn't comply.

Why did Clara kiss him? Why would she just do that?

Jack could possibly be right with his observations. Maybe she does feel something for him other than spite. She did save him from getting stabbed, after all.

The Doctor rolled over in bed once more, this time, he was on his stomach, face buried into the soft pillow. It did nothing to stop him from thinking about the kiss. This was worse than the lift incident.

How is he supposed to get any rest when there were so many questions floating around in his mind?

He lifted his head as an idea came to him.

He could ask her why she decided to snog him out of the blue. Surely it couldn't because he offered her a place to sleep.

Yes, first thing tomorrow morning, he would confront Clara Oswald about the kiss.

With a satisfactory plan in mind, the Doctor's eyelids became heavy and he was greeted by slumber shortly after.

Unfortunately for the poor lecturer, he could only manage to get two hours of sleep as the alarm on the beside table rose him from a good rest.

It was 7 AM sharp.

The Doctor lied down on his back and stared at the white ceiling, wondering if his guest was already awake.

Should he go downstairs now and make breakfast? Would she stay? How is he going to bring up the topic?

Despite feeling exhausted, John climbed out of bed and put on a robe. He had to do something to prevent himself from overthinking.

As quietly as possible, he trod downstairs, expecting to see Clara sleeping on the sofa, but to his disappointment, she was nowhere to be found. A neatly folded duvet was sitting there with a note on top.

He glanced into the kitchen on the way to the living room and saw Idris lying in her bed.

John grabbed the note.

  
__

_Thank you for your hospitality_

_-Clara  
_  


He sighed, lowering the note. It seems that he wouldn't be getting his answer today, as much as he wanted to.

\--

The Doctor's Monday morning started off like normal. Wake up, shower, feed Idris, have breakfast and leave for work. Just before leaving, he glanced at the house next to his and pondered of what to do when he sees her. Would it be awkward? No doubt.

Thirty minutes later, he finally reached the gate, about to drive in when a motorbike from his right side nearly collided with his vehicle.

Under any normal circumstance, the Doctor and Clara would have yelled at each other as they usually would, but due to recent events, they merely stared at one another before John nodded to the gate and Clara got in first.

He parked his car and headed for the lift, expecting his colleague to enter the building in a few seconds after he did and sure enough, she popped in.

They glanced at each other for a brief moment before looking in opposite directions.

"How was your weekend?" John asked awkwardly. "I mean, after the break-in," he quickly added.

"Yeah, the usual, marking, reading, writing, all the boring stuff… you?"

"Same old, same old."

The lift doors opened, and the two mathematicians stepped in.

Perhaps it was a bad idea for them to even consider using the machinery as memories from the weekend immediately flooded their minds.

The Doctor thought it would be a good opportunity to bring up the kiss, but he never had the courage to do it. Besides, he feared that someone might accidentally listen in on them.

Once they reached the department, Clara stepped out first, heading to her office. John decided to wait and check if the coast was clear for him. No signs of Jack just yet.

He walked down the hall and produced the keys to his office.

Suddenly, a familiar tune, from a violin, started playing just after he unlocked the door.

"Wandering child, so lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance," Jack sang while Dan played the violin in the break room.

Bloody hell. He thought too soon.

"Since when did you have the time to assemble an opera?" the Doctor muttered as he stepped into his office.

"Thanks for your help, Dan," Jack said as his student gave John two thumbs up before walking away. "For your information, he has band practice today and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and everyone and I mean, everyone is talking about you know what."

John rolled his eyes and sat down on the swivelling chair. Word travels fast.

"Anyway, why else would I sing that specific line if I knew that you didn't do what I told you to?"

The Doctor tried to look as calm as possible. Jack couldn't know what happened during the weekend. Not one bit. "Didn't see her much."

"Which is why-"

"SHE'S COMING!"

Jack stuck his head out the corridor as Oishin ran past. "To be continued," he announced before running to his own office, feeling a bit gutted he wasn't able to give sound advice to his best friend.

The Doctor exhaled loudly before swivelling around in his chair, wondering what his sister wants with him this time. If it was about the lift incident, then he certainly doesn't have a choice but to come clean with her.

Much to his surprise, Missy wasn't there to see him.

Instead, she stopped directly in front of Clara's door.

"Dr Oswald," she said coolly and knocked once.

Clara immediately rose to her feet. "Yes, Professor?" she replied, thinking she was in some sort of trouble.

"I got your message last weekend and just wanted to check up on you," she stated.

She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"A couple of thieves broke into the house, right?"

Her eyes widened. Missy is her landlady. "Yes."

It all made sense now. Clara had texted her landlady after the incident, informing her of the broken lock. She had no clue it was Missy Smith. John's sister.

"Are you alright?" Missy asked with a neutral expression.

She nodded. "Yeah, just slightly shaken."

She leaned forward and whispered. "I heard my brother saved you."

Clara took a step back. "He did."

Missy stared at her face for a few moments and smiled. "Is that all?" she asked and then yelled for her brother. "John, get in here!"

A second later, John Smith entered the rather cramped office and stood beside Clara. "What?" he barked.

"The lock was broken so where did you stay for the night?" Missy questioned Clara.

Clara paused, unsure of how to answer her question. She felt as if she was being interrogated.

"At a hotel, obviously," the Doctor answered in annoyance, unaware he was once again pouting. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing," Missy said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Just thought I'd ask so I could compensate her if she had to lodge at one, even better if she stayed at yours."

"That's not necessary," Clara commented, laughing nervously. "I mean, it was just Travelodge… the only complaint I had was that the duvet was a bit thin."

The Doctor glanced at her for a second, feeling slightly offended and crossed his arms. "Anything else?" he asked his sister.

Missy smirked. The universe is clearly siding with her. First the lift and then the thieves. "I saw the lift footage – you two would make a cute couple," she stated before leaving, shutting the door.

Clara cleared her throat to break the awkward silence before finally looking at her colleague. "Why did you lie?"

"She can't know too much," the Doctor answered.

"I'm sure she knows everything."

They stared at each other before smiling.

He scratched the back of his head. "Um… that night…," he began quietly.

Clara listened intently before her eyes caught sight of the clock on the wall just behind him. "I'm late for my lecture!" she exclaimed.

"What?" John turned around and saw that it was 9 AM sharp. He's also tardy for his first lecture of the day and rushed outside where several people, including Jack and Ian, had gathered in an attempt to eavesdrop.

"And this is the equation which you should get after… applying integration by parts," Jack pretended to explain as he pointed at a random poster.

Clara and John couldn't be bothered to address their sudden audience as they went off in a hurry to their respective lectures.

The Doctor couldn't believe he had missed the chance to ask her again. He desperately wanted answers and he was going to get them today.

While the small crowd dispersed, Ian and Jack remained in the hallway.

"So, what do you think will happen now?" Ian asked. "It sounds like they've stopped fighting."

Jack merely grinned. "They're at the denial stage."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little weekend treat! ;)

"Once you've taken the derivatives with respect to x and y, you can arrange these terms here," the Doctor said, pointing to several equations. "To get the potential vorticity – recall that we said f is constant and zeta is this equation," he continued explaining. "Just tidy up a bit and then you get the Potential Vorticity."

He glanced at his watch for possibly the twelfth time during the lesson. Since arriving at the lecture theatre filled with his students wondering where he was, John had been restless, wishing he could have gotten answers from Clara in her office.

Just a minute to go.

"Here's a little exercise for you: derive the Potential Vorticity as before, but with f being a function of y," he said, writing the exercise on the whiteboard.

The students copied down everything written on the whiteboard before the Doctor dismissed them. He too was eager to leave and was the first to walk out of the room, heading towards where Clara's lecture was held.

John could see students pouring out of the lecture room, so he kept his distance until he spotted the Impossible Girl. It was evident from her face that her mind was elsewhere.

"We need to talk," he blurted, surprising her.

Clara shot him a look as some students began staring at them, smiling. No doubt that they heard about the rumours. "Could you do it a bit more discreetly," she hissed.

"Well, I'm not the one who kissed a colleague for no reason," he whispered through gritted teeth.

She shut her eyes and sighed. "Fine, where?"

"Not our offices, obviously and I wouldn't put it past Jack to bug them," he said as they began walking before an idea came to him. "I know where we can go."

"Where exactly?" she inquired, following him.

"The Department of Mechanical Engineering," he replied, grinning. The building is the perfect place for them to talk as everyone in that department is a walking zombie, too busy with their work to care with what goes on around them. "I'm sure we can use the meeting room – nobody uses it."

Clara said nothing as she trusted him. The Doctor had been working at the university far longer than her, so she followed him around campus, taking a few shortcuts along the way to avoid people.

John looked around the hallway before producing his velcro wallet.

"Are you really 12?" she asked, half-convinced that he's a child stuck in an adult's body.

"It's convenient," he retorted and tapped the wallet against the card reader. "And it has RFID protection... I think."

The door opened and he signalled her to get inside. He scouted the empty hallway one more time before stepping in and closing the door securely.

She crossed her arms, leaning against the table as she waited for him to talk, despite having a good idea of why he had dragged her here in the first place.

Clara waited, but all the Doctor did was stand in front of her awkwardly and avoiding eye contact. "Well."

He tilted his head and gazed at her for a second. "Why did you kiss me that night?"

She dropped her arms and felt her cheeks burning. "I… I don't really know," she answered, thinking he was going to berate her at any moment. "I'm sorry and it won't happen again – it was just out of the blue."

He furrowed his brows and this confused Clara. "There had to be a reason why you suddenly decided to snog me."

She felt even more embarrassed now. "Better not get too narcissistic there, grandpa."

"I'm not the one who kissed this grandpa!" he retorted. "I certainly wouldn't want that kiss to be repeated."

"Well, the feeling's mutual," she said, learning a bit closer.

"Says the elf who kissed me."

They glared at each other, having a contest over who would look even more terrifying.

Clara then blinked and growled. "Screw this!" she exclaimed before roughly grabbing the lapels of the Doctor's jacket and snogging him again.

Unlike the previous incident, John's brain didn't completely fry, but he instead kissed her back with equal passion, setting Clara on the table to get a better angle. His large hands gripped the sides of the desk.

She buried her fingers in his bouncy silver curls, savouring the taste of his lips. Eventually, she pulled away first, almost out of breath.

Both stared at each other quietly, and John leaned his forehead against hers, enjoying the close contact.

"For a grandpa, you sure know how to kiss," she teased. She felt as if the horrible tension between them was slowly dissolving.

"I'm not that old," he grumbled, earning a giggle. "You're not so bad yourself for an elf."

Clara smirked. "Now that I think about it, I don't think you said what you meant in Japanese."

"No," he confessed, capturing her lips in a soft and tender kiss. God, he had been wanting to do this for a while now.

"What exactly did you say?" she asked after they pulled away.

"I'm not telling you," he said cheekily before settling next to her on the desk.

"Will more snogging get you to tell me?"

He snorted.

"I just realised that this room is now a snog box."

John rolled his eyes. "Well don't say it like that… it's still a meeting room… that no one uses."

"Except us."

"Alright, fine, technically speaking, it's a snog box."

An awkward silence enveloped the room.

"We should get going," Clara announced, hopping off the table.

The Doctor mimicked her. "So, um… what about…," he flailed his arms around. "I mean, you… we…"

She turned around, realising what he meant. "Oh yeah," she laughed nervously, unsure either of what this meant. She then came up with a plan. "How about this, we take things slow, get to know each other."

"Right," he agreed. "And keep it a secret, since there's no need for the whole university to know just yet, especially Jack."

"Absolutely."

If she really meant they were going to take things slow, he might as well ask her out on a date. "Would you like to have dinner this weekend?"

She smiled. "I would love that."

"But it would have to be at my place," the Doctor added. "People might spot us if we go to high street."

Clara nodded. "Friday?"

"7 PM?"

"It's a date."

The Doctor smiled shyly before he scratched the back of his head. "So we should just act like normal then, in front of everybody else?"

"If you mean normal by bickering and bantering, yes," Clara said.

He frowned. "I don't do banter."

She arched a brow, slightly perplexed. "Yeah, what were we doing just then?"

"I am against bantering."

She laughed, and it was music to his ears. "Look, I really think we should go before someone finds us in here."

"As I said, nobody ever uses this room."

"Maybe one of the cleaners or new students will."

John rolled his eyes. "Fine, go first, because the last thing I want is people being suspicious, especially Jack Harkness."

"Right," she said, standing before him. She hesitated for a moment before she saw the look in his eyes and pecked him on the lips. "Looking forward to whatever we argue next."

The Doctor fought hard not to show his emotions as he merely grunted before she left. After waiting for a few seconds, he grinned from ear to ear.

He felt as if he was on cloud nine, not quite believing he had kissed and been kissed by Clara Oswald.

John waited for a little over ten minutes before deciding to leave the room and return to office. No one would suspect a single thing. Hopefully.

As soon as he stepped into the department, Jack was on to him like a hound.

"And just where have you been?"

"Who do you think you are?" the Doctor retorted. "My father?"

"Your kids' future godfather," Jack replied. "Your and Clara's kid's future godfather."

John sighed, mentally preparing for another interrogation as his best friend followed him into the office. "I went out to get some coffee."

"Your lecture ends at 10, and you've been gone for half an hour."

"Had coffee at Starbucks," the Doctor lied smoothly, looking away from him.

Jack squinted his eyes. "Funny you should mention that because I saw Clara carrying a Starbucks coffee cup."

"So?"

"Were you two having coffee together?" he asked smugly.

They were doing something much better than drinking coffee, but the Doctor wasn't going to say that. Instead, he feigned annoyance and crossed his arms. "I didn't see her there, and even if I did, what were you expecting me to do?"

"Ask her out on a date."

He had done exactly that. "No."

"Go up to her and tell her how you truly feel," Jack advised. "Honesty is the best policy as they say."

"Please stop being nosy."

Jack grinned. "I will once you two get married and have kids, or at least, reduce my pestering frequency when you guys date."

He patted John on the back.

"Play her a song while you're at it because that's one way to a woman's heart."

The Doctor knew what Jack was going to do next. "Don't-"

"I need somebody to heal, somebody to know, somebody to have, somebody to hold," Jack sang as he left. "It's easy to say, but it's never the same, I guess I kinda like the way you help me escape."

"Sing," John grumbled.

Jack then screamed. "Clara, the Doctor's looking for you!"

He rose to his feet immediately. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Yes, Jack?" Clara answered, sticking her head out the door as she didn't quite hear him.

Jack Harkness smiled. After over a year of constant arguments between the two, he was happy to know that things were changing, albeit slowly. "The Doctor would like to say something to you."

She arched a brow and leaned against the door frame. "Yeah, is he forfeiting the bet?"

"Why would I do that when I'm leading?" John grumbled.

"Because you'll lose eventually, Dr Magician."

"Do I need to insult your height again?"

Suddenly, the door between their offices swung open. "Please get a room," Jamie McCrimmon said. "It's like I'm in a romantic-comedy film – the bantering is getting out of hand here – are you two into some sort of fetish or something?"

Jack burst out laughing while John and Clara remained silent, face burning red.

"Just get the shagging over with," Jamie muttered, shaking his head before disappearing back into his office.

"Well, this has been very entertaining," Jack began. "But I'll leave you two alone now."

Once Jack Harkness was out of their sight, John glanced into the break room and saw several people in there.

"I hope you're ready to lose, Dr Oswald."

"I still have plenty of time to catch up," she replied. "And I would love to do nothing more than to beat you."

John fought the urge to smile and at the same time control himself. The last sentence was a bit of a turn on if he was completely honest. There was just something about her bossy attitude that he liked. "There's a bit 'if' floating around," he said before retreating to his office. He wished that the weekend would come sooner.

\-- 

When the Doctor returned home later in the evening, he found Idris in her usual spot, the bed where she was currently resting, but that wasn't what caught his attention, however as he stepped into the kitchen.

There was a pool of vomit close to the fridge.

That was the third time in a month. He didn't think much regarding the first two incidents since she had a habit of doing that if she had eaten too much.

He rushed to his pet to make sure she was alright and from his observations, she seemed fine. It dawned to him that she had since gained a bit of weight and had been acting moody for the past few weeks.

After cleaning the mess, he took out her cage from underneath the sink and carefully placed her inside. "I'm taking you to the vet."

An hour later, Dr John Smith finally got the answer he suspected.

"She's pregnant and I'm sure she'll give birth soon," the vet confirmed after performing a sonogram. He rubbed Idris' ears. "In perhaps, a week."

There were a number of reasons why the Doctor didn't bother to get his cat spayed. One, she's the only cat in the housing area for years. Two, he had thought the suspected father of the soon-to-be kittens was neutered.

"It's better to get her spayed after she gives birth - reduces the risk."

"Yeah," John agreed, staring at his pet. "You've really surprised me this time."

No doubt that Clara would be surprised too.

And more would surely come.


	10. Chapter 10

The following days passed by like a breeze and before anyone knew it, it was the weekend.

Clara and the Doctor had gone through the week as if nothing was out of the ordinary. They kept their distances at work, only arguing when the situation called for it, such as when bumping into each other in the break room, either by accident or on purpose.

The rest of the department had gone quiet on the rumour as they had assumed the two mathematicians were back to their old habits again, much to Jack's dismay.

John had decided to tell Clara about Idris' pregnancy when she arrived at his home later in the evening. He thought it was best to talk while nobody was listening and in the privacy of his home. Besides, it wasn't like Idris was going to give birth today.

He was boiling the pasta on the stove when he heard the doorbell rang. Making sure that the kitchen looked presentable and discarding the apron he was wearing the Doctor made his way to the front door.

"Evening, Dr Oswald," he greeted as he stepped aside to let her in.

"Dr Smith," Clara replied. She was dressed casually by wearing a plain jumper and jeans.

John had taken the liberty of cleaning his house earlier in the day so as to impress his date.

"You've taken the hoover out of its resting place, have you?" she teased.

"I do clean my house once in a while," he grumbled in reply, shutting the door. "You look nice in that jumper."

The Doctor's hour of googling how to compliment women paid off as Clara beamed.

"Um… make yourself at home," he said, returning to the kitchen switching off the stove. "I'm just preparing the pasta."

"Didn't take you one for cooking," she commented cheekily when Idris suddenly ran past her.

There was something about the feline's behaviour that was off. It made Clara follow her to the kitchen where the black cat tugged her owner's trousers with her teeth.

"What is it?" John asked, furrowing his brows before it finally hit him. "Bloody hell," he muttered, tossing the spatula into the sink. "Please tell me it's not happening now."

Idris then ran back upstairs, waiting for the Doctor to follow her so she can show him her nest. One she had discreetly made in his closet by compiling some of his graphic t-shirts.

"What's going on?" Clara asked in confusion.

Perhaps he should have told her sooner.

"I should have asked you this, but," he replied, walking up the steps as she trailed behind. "Is Mr Darcy neutered?"

She paused for a second, putting two and two together before quietly saying, "No."

Together, the two mathematicians followed Idris as she led them to the master bedroom.

"It's our first date and I'm in your bedroom," she commented lightly.

"What a date," John muttered when he spotted the nest Idris had made. "No, no, no, not my t-shirts."

The Doctor went to the en-suite to find some old towels while Clara stayed put, looking into the small closet. It was best she kept her distance as she didn't want to agitate Idris.

He returned to the bedroom several moments later, carrying a stack of towels in his arms, replacing the graphic t-shirts.

"I guess we can leave her now," John said awkwardly. This wasn't how he had imagined his first date in a long time, let alone with Clara Oswald.

His pet yowled in protest, prompting his date to giggle. "I think she wants you to stay."

The Doctor frowned. Was his own pet trying to ruin everything he had planned? "The pasta is going to get cold," he argued.

"You might want to forget about that because she's already pushing a kitten out."

"What?!" he almost yelled, peering into the closet. After a moment, he left the door open just a bit. "Um… I'm sorry this happened."

In response, Clara laughed, finding the whole situation amusing. A date which turned into cat sitting was a first for her. "It's alright, at least I got to watch a cat give birth… both beautiful and slightly disturbing."

They sat down on the edge of the mattress.

The Doctor fiddled with his hands. He could still save the date. Hopefully. "I could bring dinner upstairs… I mean if you still feel like it, that is."

She had lost her appetite the moment she witnessed Idris eating her own placenta and the Doctor looked quite worried. "Why don't we just stay here and chat while your cat produces a litter of kittens for you?" she suggested. She felt bad that she was in a way, responsible for this.

"They're yours, too," he added.

"Yeah, can't believe Mr Darcy is the father."

John arched a brow. "It's expected when his own owner didn't neuter him."

Clara playfully slapped his arm. "Oh, shut up, you're just as guilty, and for your information, I didn't have the heart to neuter him."

"You have the guts to drive a massive bike and nearly hit my car with, but you can't take him to the vet?"

"Don't put it like that, you didn't spay yours."

"Because she used to be the only cat in the neighbourhood."

Clara smirked. "Are we getting into another argument?"

"Well, technically speaking, this wouldn't be happening if-"

She cut him off by kissing him. "You talk too much," she commented, a small smile playing on her lips.

"How else am I supposed to communicate?" he retorted, eyes staring directly at her lips. His hands were still holding her face.

"With your lips," she replied, a twinkle in her eyes.

He bent forward, about to capture her lips when a series of mews were heard coming from the closet.

When the Doctor pulled the door, they were greeted by the sight of the new mother licking one of her two kittens. The new-borns looked to be tortoiseshell cats. That was surprisingly efficient and fast. Then again, this is Idris.

"Is this it?" Clara asked.

"Seems like it," John answered as he knelt and softly brushed Idris' head with a finger.

Half an hour later, the two lecturers were having their dinner. They talked about their respective childhoods and where they grew up, the trivial matters.

The only thing that Clara knew about her date was that he's Scottish. And also slightly obnoxious, and loves his beat up old car a bit too much. So she couldn't miss the opportunity to listen to how he first procured the vehicle.

"I got the car from my grandad after graduating from uni," the Doctor explained. "He had it for two years and then offered it to me since I was moving to London."

"So that's why you're stuck with it."

"She may be an old girl, but she's a reliable car."

Clara thought it was best to keep her mouth shut over mentioning the times the blue Mercedes showed signs of ageing. She brought the glass of wine to her lips. "You speak as if you're married to the inanimate object."

The Doctor smirked. "She has a mind of her own," he countered. "Do I sense jealousy?"

She laughed. "Do I look like I'm jealous to you?"

"Your face is red."

She touched her left cheek. "No, it's not," she argued. "So much for not being into banter."

"This is not banter – this is a date."

"What's next?" she said. "Dad jokes?"

The smile on his face dropped, replaced by a look of confusion instead. She really should think first before opening her mouth.

"That's not what I meant," she stammered. Why did she even say that?

"So I guess I am a handsome, genius Doctor."

Clara pursed her lips. "That's taking it too far."

"I think I'll call myself from now on," John quipped.

She merely rolled her eyes as they finished their meal in silence. "The pasta is lovely," she said quietly, flashing him a smile as she helped carry the dishes to the sink.

"Expect the best from this handsome, talented, genius Doctor."

"Alright, you need to stop that," Clara giggled.

He merely smiled and then came to the realisation that dinner was finally over.

What now?

The Doctor had been out of the game for so long that he couldn't even recall what to do on the first date.

"Doctor, are you ok?" his date asked, eyebrows knitted.

"Yes… why do you ask?"

"You look as if your brain just stopped working."

He avoided eye contact and wondered how the hell she managed to figure that out. He couldn't be that obvious, could he? Should he ask her if she wants dessert? No, that sounded a bit wrong. "Would you like some ice-cream?" he blurted, surprising her.

Confusion washed over her face. "I'm good… the pasta was filling."

What is he supposed to do now? Is she going to leave? Did he screw up?

"Why don't we just finish the wine?" she suggested. When was the last time he was ever on a date? "You could have something playing on the telly."

"That's a great idea," he replied, smiling.

Soon enough, the two were lounging on the sofa, a sci-fi movie playing on the telly, but neither of them paid much attention to it, especially the Doctor.

There was some distance between them, and Clara was getting rather impatient for him to make a move, so she resorted to doing it herself. So much for taking things slow.

She scooted closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder, causing his whole body to stiffen. She rolled her eyes. "This is the part where you put your arm around me," she whispered, and he obeyed.

He gently leaned his cheek against her head, hand subconsciously caressing her arm. "This is nice," he confessed.

Clara looked up and smiled. "It is," she murmured before brushing her lips against his.

The Doctor closed his eyes and brought both hands to cup her face, savouring the taste of her lips. He suddenly felt like a teenager again, feeling much younger.

She pushed him down on the sofa as their kiss grew more desperate.

"Whatever happened to taking things slow?" John asked, smirking. He lied down on his back, drinking in the sight of her. Face flushed, lips slightly bruised, chest heaving.

"Let's just forget about it," Clara said before continuing to kiss him. Her hand travelled down to his upper torso, popping open the top two buttons.

To hell with taking things slow.

The tension between them that lasted a year gave no room.

Once she successfully unbuttoned his shirt, Clara attempted to unbuckle his belt and he thrust forward.

John pulled away. "Do you want to take it upstairs?" he asked quietly, caressing her thigh.

Where Idris was currently residing with her litter of kittens? Wouldn't want to traumatise the poor animals. "No."

He grinned. "Thought so," was all he said before capturing her lips, hands fumbling to take off the jumper she was wearing.

What a date, indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

The television in the living room no longer played a sci-fi movie. Instead, a political satire show was on, but not much could be heard. The only sound discernible was the humming noise coming from the fridge in the kitchen, but even that didn't bother the two occupants lying on the sofa.

The Doctor was lying on his back, one arm supporting the back of his head and the other wrapped around the beautiful woman lying in his arms. They were shielded from the cold by a blanket, both feeling content as they basked in the afterglow.

He glanced at Clara, who was lazily tracing circles on his chest. A small smile formed on his lips. How on earth did he get from arguing with this woman 24/7 to having her lying next to him in this cramped sofa?

"Why are staring at me like that?" she asked a hint of amusement in her tone of voice. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat was slowly lulling her to sleep.

"Just thinking."

She looked up, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "About what?"

John gently caressed her arm. "How we ended up here."

Clara arched a brow. "Do you need to be reminded of what we did just now?"

He kissed her hair.

"Or is old age getting to you?"

The Doctor shifted slightly. "I am not that old," he grunted.

"Yes, I've been proven otherwise," she laughed, kissing the nape of his neck.

Clara Oswald hadn't felt content and happy in a while and she was finally glad to be able to experience those feelings again. She had no regrets whatsoever sleeping with her colleague and ex-rival. In fact, she was glad their date turned out better than expected. There was a softer side to the Doctor which he rarely showed at work, let alone to her before this, and she loves it.

"Well, would you look at that, you're doing that thing again," he teased, tearing her from her thoughts.

"Doing what?"

"The thing with your eyes – they're inflating!"

Clara lightly slapped his chest. "No, they're not."

"Were you thinking about me?" he continued. "Is that why your pupils were dilating?"

"There he goes with his ego."

The Doctor laughed before he brought the back of her hand to his lips. "I was right though, wasn't I?"

"Not dignifying that question with an answer," she replied, now resting her chin on top of his chest.

His hands travelled to the small of her back, tracing her spine with a finger, which elicited a giggle from her. "Could it be that Dr Clara Oswald is ticklish?" he asked playfully.

The way he had pronounced her name gave caused the hair on her arms to rise. She never realised how much she loves his accent. Clara leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

Suddenly, she felt the Doctor shift around and before she knew it, she was underneath him. "Let's see just how ticklish you are," he murmured, eyes dark and filled with something she couldn't quite comprehend.

She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and connected their mouths once more, both smiling and giggling.

\-- 

All was quiet that morning, the television now playing the news, curtains still closed, protecting the two figures from the shining sun as they continued to sleep.

The peace didn't last long however, as the sound of a ringing phone roused the Doctor from his slumber. He shot his eyes open, and shifted slightly, before realising the weight on his right side. Clara. She was still fast asleep.

The ringing continued and he tried his best to reach for his trousers lying on the coffee table.

John eventually grabbed it and pulled out his phone from one of the pockets, reading the name on the screen. Missy.

Clara stirred in her sleep and she instinctively buried her face in the crook of his neck, groaning.

He quickly answered the call. "Yes," he said with a raspy voice.

"You sound like you have a cold," his sister commented.

"You woke me up," he replied, lying back down and caressing the woman lying in his arms. He hoped she wasn't awake just yet.

"Well, get out of bed, because I'm outside," Missy instructed. "Went grocery shopping earlier and found those chocolate doughnuts you love so much."

"What?" he exclaimed, and Clara opened her eyes, lifting her head slightly.

"Do you want them or not?" Missy asked, annoyed. She felt as if she just wanted money and energy trying to be nice to her brother for once.

"I'll… be there in a moment," John stammered before hanging up.

"Who is it?" Clara asked, eyebrows knitted.

He cleared his throat, reaching for the trousers again. "Missy, she's here."

Her eyes widened as he untangled himself from her, searching for his clothes. "Is there a place I can hide?" she whispered, wrapping the blanket around herself.

"Bedroom," the Doctor answered, handing Clara her clothes and the bottle of wine before she quickly trod upstairs.

Just before he unlocked the door, John made sure to switch off the television and check his appearance in the hallway mirror. He looked normal, not a trace of the remnants of the previous night.

"Finally," Missy grumbled about to shove the box of doughnuts into his chest when she suddenly paused halfway through. "You look different," she commented, not quite able to figure out what was wrong or right with her brother.

"You woke me up," he grunted, grabbing the box. "If that's all, see you tomorrow," he said, about to shut the door when his sister blocked it with her foot.

"Now hang on just a bloody minute," she said, forcing her way in. "Did you get into a fight with a racoon or something?"

"Why do you ask?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

"Your shirt's inside out."

The Doctor looked down and indeed, he was wearing the shirt the wrong way. "It's because I was in a rush to answer the door."

Missy squinted her eyes. He wasn't pouting, so he must be telling the truth.

She decided to investigate further by examining the living room. It looked as if her brother had been sleeping on the sofa, but he could have gotten up in the middle of the night and slept in bed for all she knew. "Where's Idris?"

"Upstairs," he answered. "She just gave birth."

Missy's eyes lit up. "Is that so?" he commented, grinning. "Let me guess, the Impossible Girl's cat is the father?"

John grimaced, hoping that Clara didn't hear her nickname. He quickly glanced at the staircase. "Yes."

His sister chuckled. "That's one way of bringing you two closer."

She then settled on the armchair, giving the indication that she wasn't going to leave anytime soon. "Does she know?"

"Yes, I told her."

"The two doctors and their little cat family," his sister purred. "How cute."

John glowered before he plopped down on the sofa, opening the box. "Anything else, Detective Chief Inspector?"

"Yes," Missy answered. "When are you going to shag Dr Oswald?"

The Doctor coughed violently, before swallowing the doughnut he was chewing. The sound of something being dropped was heard coming from the stairs.

If only she knew what happened in this very living room.

"What sort of question is that?!" he demanded, going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"From the way I see it, I think you and Clara Oswald are secretly pining for each other if you take away all the arguing and bantering."

"Please stop sticking your nose into my private life," John groaned.

"I will, once the two of you stop being so dramatic," Missy said triumphantly, rising to her feet. "And I'll be honest, I really want to know what's going on after what happened in the lift."

"None of your business," he grumbled as she made her way to the front door. "Thanks for the doughnuts."

"See you and your future tiny girlfriend tomorrow," Missy purred before stepping outside.

He waited her car drove off before getting on his feet and heading for the stairs, locking eyes with Clara who was on the top step, still clutching the bottle of wine, her clothes, and the blanket that was wrapped around her body.

"So when are you going to shag me?" she asked, a cheeky smile on her face.

He towered over her as he reached the final step. "Now?" he replied huskily, wrapping his arms around her.

"Though I'm curious what Missy meant when she meant by 'the Impossible Girl'," Clara added, and the Doctor froze.

"Ah, that."

"Yes, that," she giggled.

He cleared his throat. "It's just a nickname I gave you since you were impossible to avoid and talk to without arguing," he explained. "That was all before… you know," he added hastily.

Clara was amused. She fancied the nickname he gave her. "Sounds like I'm in some sort of fairy tale or sci-fi – Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl."

"You really are," he murmured, bringing her closer to him. "Impossible to resist."

"Cheesy," she commented, sticking out her tongue.

The Doctor gave her a kiss. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished."

"I'll get breakfast ready," he said, but not moving or releasing her from his embrace at all.

His inaction elicited another giggle. "I need to get dressed, you daft old man."

"Not that old," he grumbled, finally releasing her.

Clara beamed and then pecked him on the cheek as she went to the bedroom to get dressed.

\-- 

"We should exercise caution when at university," the Doctor suggested, bringing the cup of fresh coffee to his lips.

"Yeah, it's quite obvious your sister suspects something," Clara replied, setting down her fork. "And I think Jack will catch on soon."

He gulped down the coffee. "If we keep our distances, everything should be fine."

She snorted. "Like what happened on Thursday when you tried to grab my hand in front of the lecture hall full of students?"

__

_Clara sighed as she realised that the lecture from the previous session was still running. She couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor did it on purpose to mess with her._

_"Come on," she said to her students, pushing the doors open and stepping inside, capturing the room's attention._

_"We'll carry on with the proof for the First Law of Thermodynamics another time," John announced after locking eyes with her for a few seconds._

_She could have sworn she saw him smirking._

_Placing her notebook and small bag on the desk, she shot him a look. "Running over my lecture again?"_

_He merely shrugged, a playful look in his eyes as his right hand rested on the desk, close to where she had hers. "I must have been carried away," he answered, hand inching closer to hers. His fingertips brushed the side of her hand._

_"What are you doing?" she whispered, pulling away. "You know we can't."_

_"I'm just 'trolling' as the kids call it."_

_She shut her eyes. "That was not trolling."_

_He frowned. "Oh…"_

_"Get with the times properly, grandpa," she said smugly. "I have so much to teach you."_

__

"It wasn't like I was doing it in plain sight," he argued. He just wanted to show a bit of affection. Clearly, he did it wrong. "You had that bag blocking people's view of the desk."

"Anyway," Clara said, changing the subject. "Do you think I should bring Mr Darcy and introduce him to his new kittens?"

The Doctor pondered for a moment. "For as long as Idris is fine with it, and he doesn't attempt to harm the kittens, then yes, by all means, bring him here."

She beamed, finishing her breakfast.

Later in the morning, Clara returned to her house to retrieve Mr Darcy. Halfway through, she felt a pair of eyes staring at her.

Mrs Taylor was outside, watering her extensive collection of plants when she spotted Dr Clara Oswald, a spring in her step, all smiles and glowing, leaving Dr Smith's house as if nothing was out of the ordinary, hence why she was staring.

Clara smiled, well more like grimaced and waved awkwardly before running inside. 

There was no doubt in her mind that Mrs Taylor would soon gossip with her friends and neighbours.

The mother of one scurried into the house, searching for her husband.

"William, William!" she called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, darling?" her spouse yelled from upstairs.

"You owe me fifty quid!"

There was nothing but silence for the longest moment.

"Well, fuck!"

Mrs Taylor merely smiled, pleased she won the bet.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor and Clara had come up with a plan. Well, an agreement, really. It wasn't really a plan since they would still be performing the same old routine.

He would leave the house first, she would wait for a few minutes until she starts her bike before heading straight to work.

That way, they would bump into each other at the entrance and can carry on with their argument as some people at the university have now come to expect.

They would keep to themselves at work, so that meant no hand touching, no getting too close to one another and certainly no snogging.

It all sounded like a good plan-slash-agreement in their minds, but oh boy. Did this so-called plan-slash-agreement fall apart quickly.

It started when the Doctor popped into the break room after his first lecture of the day. He made his way to the kitchen counter and grabbed the kettle, filling it with water and then switching it on.

A few seconds later, Clara entered, wanting to make tea, but he was between her and the cupboard.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You're in my way," she replied, deciding to play the game.

"Am I now?"

"Yes, I would like to have my cup of tea."

The Doctor leaned against the counter. "Shame I'm using the facilities, so you'll have to wait."

Unknown to them, some of the staff and postgraduate students in the break room decided to watch the banter.

"It's like watching a romantic-comedy film," one commented quietly, chewing on some crisps.

"Saves you the trip of going to the cinema."

Clara fought the urge to smile, biting her bottom lip. "Any chance you can move that heavy arse of yours?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Any chance you can ask nicely, Dr Oswald?"

"Listen to your heart when he's calling for you!" Jack sang, appearing out of nowhere. "Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do!"

John and Clara looked in his direction, shooting him confused looks.

"Good morning to the most beautiful couple in the universe!" Jack exclaimed. "Having another marital argument?"

"No, I just need my cup of tea," Clara grumbled.

The kettle whistled before it finally stopped boiling water.

"There," the Doctor said. "You didn't have to wait for very long, did you?"

"Felt like an eternity," she answered, opening the cupboard as he moved away.

As soon as the Doctor filled his mug with hot water, Jack ushered him out of the break room and into his office, much to his colleague's annoyance as he was afraid his drink might spill.

"Hey!" John exclaimed, being pushed into the room. "Hey!"

Jack shut the door and turned around, a strange look in his eyes.

Used to his friend's antics, the Doctor merely sighed, settling down on the office chair. "If you're trying to convince me to sing to Clara, it's not happening."

"Hohohohoho!" Jack laughed, rubbing his hands in glee.

"There's plenty of mental hospitals here in the UK," John said. "Would you like me to send you to one?"

"If anybody here is insane, it's you, Johnny boy."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose in disgust, setting down the mug he held. "Please do not ever call me that again or I will hit you with my shoe."

Jack then decided to get straight to the point as he had been wanting to discuss with his friend all about it, but he kept ignoring his texts. "So here's the plan that I came up with: we're going to make Clara jealous!"

John glanced at him, flabbergasted by the anti-climactic plan of his weird friend. "That sounds stupid and probably is."

Jack knew he was one step ahead. "Alright, just so you know, my plan is genius."

"Stupid."

"Genius."

"Idiotic."

"Brilliant," Jack sang as he left the office, making his way to Clara's. He knocked on the door once and waited for her to give permission to enter before opening the door.

If Clara was completely honest, she wasn't quite surprised to see Jack in her office again, grinning from ear to ear. No doubt it has something to do with the Doctor. "Can I help you, Dr Harkness?"

"Why yes you can, Dr Oswald," he said, taking the empty seat next to her desk.

He's up to something alright.

"And what would that be?"

"We make the Doctor jealous."

Clara froze. Was Jack onto something? First Missy and now her weird colleague. Looks like she would have to take John's advice seriously.

Jack then continued. "Wouldn't you want to see what sort of response he'll give – maybe he likes you underneath all that compliments disguised as insults."

Clara forced a laugh. She was sure he was catching on. "What do you mean?" she said. "They're just insults – plain and simple."

"Don't you want to gauge his reaction?" Jack asked, wording his pitch for the plan differently, and it seemed to be working since her eyes lit up. "I mean let's be honest here Clara, we both know he has the hots for you."

She pretended to not believe his claim, putting on a sceptical look.

"Besides, you can see it as revenge for calling you a she-devil, elf-woman, Dr Bosswald, Empress of all control freaks and Clara de Vil."

"He called me what?!" she demanded. Does she even look like someone who's obsessed with killing animals, let alone puppies to begin with? The jealousy plan didn't sound so bad now.

"He even sang 'Clara de Vil' at one point."

"Screw it, I'm in."

Jack grinned. "Great, we can flirt after he returns from his lecture."

\-- 

As the Doctor made his way back to his office after his second lecture of the day, he produced the keys to his office. He wasn't really looking forward to marking his students' coursework which he held with his free hand, but he had to do what needed to be done.

Suddenly, he heard laughter and giggling coming from the break room. It sounded like Clara's. What was so interesting that it made her laugh? Curious, he placed the pile of coursework on the desk and popped into the break room.

"And that's when I said 'ladies, your viewing figures just went up'," Jack ended his anecdote, giving Clara a wink.

John squinted his eyes in suspicion, but he remained calm and collected.

"Oh, hello, handsome Doctor," Jack greeted. "What brings you here to this room full of people and one very beautiful woman," he said, flashing at a smile at his colleague, who made the effort to look interested.

So that's what they're doing. Clara is going along with Jack's stupid plan. The question right now is why? He wasn't going to get involved in this a single bit.

"I'm just wondering what you two were laughing about," the Doctor grumbled, opening the fridge to look for some sort of snack.

"Just telling Clara about that one time I lost my clothes at the gym," Jack replied. "And had to wear a Dora the Explorer t-shirt."

"I never knew Jack was so funny," she said, shooting looks at the Doctor.

John knitted his eyebrows.

"Everything alright, Emperor of Attack Eyebrows?"

He glowered at being called that. "Yes, Empress of all control freaks," he grumbled.

"Aw, your future kids are going to love it when they I tell them about their parents' cute nicknames for each other," Jack couldn't help but comment. "Every couple needs that."

"Do I even look like her boyfriend to you?" the Doctor retorted, crossing his arms.

Jack flashed him an innocent smile, wrapping an arm around Clara's shoulders. "No, more like her husband, really, right Daisy?"

The Doctor tried his best not to show a single emotion. How can Clara go along with this? She looks amused.

Daisy, one of the senior lecturers in the department, looked up from her laptop. "I heard some students say that they thought you two are married to each other."

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on me, Dr Smith?" Clara asked innocently.

Bloody. Hell.

"Of course I have a crush on you," John answered sarcastically. "I think you're an amazing woman with an amazing ego."

This time, it was her turn to cross her arms. "Yes, putting your PhD on display in your office screams humble."

"The file cabinet is transparent!"

Jack decided to take things a bit serious now before things get out of hand. To think that these two idiots standing before him wonder why other people think they're married. At least he managed to obtain a reaction from the Doctor. That death glare he received for putting his arm around Clara was as visible as the sun. "Ok, this is the part where you kiss and makeup – I'm willing to be on the receiving end too."

Clara broke eye contact with the Doctor and reached for the kettle on the counter. "This is childish."

"Yes, colluding with Jack is childish."

"So is coming up with 'Clara de Vil'."

The Doctor said nothing as he gazed intently at her for a brief second before grumpily retreating to his office.

"Did I just witness the Doctor sulking?" Jack commented in surprise.

She turned around, holding the warm mug with both hands and taking a sip of her tea. "More like acting like an emotional 12-year-old," she mumbled. She was sure his reaction was genuine, and this was confirmed when she heard her smartphone beep. It served the Doctor right for calling her names. Idiot.

"At least now you know that he's into you," Jack said, snapping Clara out of her thoughts.

"I think he was more annoyed that I found out about the nickname," she replied calmly, hoping that her face won't give away anything.

"Come on, that was hard evidence there," her colleague continued.

Clara put on an unconvinced look before her phone beeped once more. "Pretty sure the Doctor was just being his usual grumpy, Scottish-self."

Jack crossed his arms as she walked out of the break room. "Dammit, I'm running out of ideas," he muttered under his breath. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but wonder if there was something different about them. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but in a subtle way, Clara and the Doctor were behaving strangely… or perhaps it was just his imagination, like it always is, as pointed out by some people.

As soon as Clara stepped into her office, she shut the door firmly before pulling out her phone.

Meeting room in exactly ten minutes 

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It's either an apology or an interrogation over why she decided to gang up on him. Checking the clock on the wall, she had about seven minutes left before she had to leave.

After finishing her drink, Clara quietly left her office, making sure the hallway was empty before heading to the Mechanical Engineering department.

She produced her card and tapped on the reader before opening the door, greeted by the sight of John sitting on the square table.

"Is there a reason why you dragged me here?" she asked, putting away the card. "I'm willing to listen if it's an apology."

The Doctor knitted his eyebrows, now on his feet. "I'm not the one who decided to go along with Jack's stupid plan."

"You deserved it for calling me names."

He paused, processing her words carefully. "You call me names too, Clara," he argued.

"Yes, but I wasn't the one who came up with 'Clara de Vil'," she said, poking his holey jumper.

Confusion washed over his face. "That's what upset you?"

"Yes, and Dr Bosswald, really?!" she demanded.

He crossed his arms defensively. "Old man is offensive too, and for the record, I came up with that name before he started dating," he retorted. "Now here's my question for you, Clara Oswald: you do realise that Jack now suspects something, right?"

"I'm well aware of what I'm doing, and I wouldn't have agreed to play the prank on you if I knew it was risky," Clara answered in frustration. "For the last time, the old man remark is just a tease."

The Doctor knew she had a point, and he was trying hard not to make the argument any worse, but it was difficult to resist when she looked so smug and sure of herself. "We-"

One moment they were glowering at each other and the next thing he knew, she had gotten on her toes and crashed her lips against his. "You really need to shut up," she commented, a smile playing on her lips, hands resting on his chest.

He stared at her like a startled owl, but his features then darkened and he bent down, capturing her lips.

It was funny how they had agreed to keep things professional at work earlier in the day and now here they are, snogging each other senseless.

The Doctor set Clara on the table, mouths never separating, their kisses getting desperate by the second.

She had always been one who obeyed the rules, but was they really about to shag in a cramped meeting room? They were acting like a bunch of hormonal teenagers. Then again, life's too short not to shag the Doctor in the workplace.

John was just about to run his hand up her stomach when the door beeped. The couple immediately broke the kiss but never had the time to do much more as they were greeted by the sight of Bill Potts with her mouth agape.


	13. Chapter 13

Bill Potts had been walking around campus looking for an empty quiet room to revise for an upcoming test, but it seemed that luck was not on her side that day, for the library was packed, classrooms in full use by lecturers, a group of students finishing their assignments or some just wanting to revise like her.

She had been searching for an empty room aimlessly for twenty minutes or so until she remembered the Mechanical Engineering department's meeting room that nobody uses, so she made her way there, under the assumption that it was empty as it always was.

To her shock and horror. The small meeting room situated in the Mechanical Engineering department was occupied by her two lecturers, one of which is her supervisor.

Bill could not believe the sight in front of her. The Doctor, her supervisor, the man who was always professional and somewhat socially awkward around everyone else was in a compromising position with his colleague, Clara Oswald, another lecturer she had thought was always professional.

Sure, she, like everybody else, had assumed that they two had a crush on each other, hidden underneath the banter and verbal arguments, but this was in no way a crush. They were in the middle of snogging each other when she came in. She felt both relieved and thankful she didn't come later for she knew she would have been traumatised for life.

When Bill finally found the ability to speak, she stammered an apology before stepping out and shutting the door in one swift motion.

Back inside, the couple still hadn't moved. They didn't expect anyone, let alone somebody they recognised to suddenly walk into the room, but it happened. The Doctor slowly untangled himself from Clara, an air of awkwardness settling in.

She was just as at lost for words. "I'm guessing we're not going to be using this room anymore?" she joked, trying to lighten up the mood a bit as she couldn't bear the silence any longer.

John shook his head. "No, I suppose not," he muttered, angry at himself for being the cause of the incident. If he hadn't asked Clara to come here in the first place, none of this would have happened. Bill wouldn't have looked as if she saw her life flashed before her eyes. How on earth is he going to face her during tomorrow's meeting?

She grasped his hand gently in order to get his attention as she could tell his mind is someplace else. There was a voice at the back of Clara's mind which told her that Bill is less likely to spread the story around, but she was worried the poor girl might never look at them the same way again, especially the Doctor as the poor girl looks up to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

He cleared his throat, pulling his hand away, which surprised the woman standing next to him. "I… I'm just… I'm sorry."

Her eyebrows were raised. "For what?"

"It's my fault," he confessed. "I shouldn't have been jealous an acted on my emotions," he said quietly, staring at his own two feet.

"You do realise that it takes two to tango right?" she commented. "I'm just as guilty for kissing you first."

The troublesome look in his eyes never resided.

"Leave some space for me instead of that massive ego of yours," she teased, hoping it would lighten his mood a bit. "You're acting as if you're the only one who got caught."

Just as Clara expected, John's eyes lit up. "Why are you always making fun of my so-called 'massive' ego?"

She grinned. "Because I love pulling your leg."

His features became serious once more. "So, um, what happens now?"

As much as the Doctor wanted to continue where they had left off before being interrupted, the other part of him was terrified that somebody else might pop in unexpectedly.

"We act professional, I suppose," Clara replied. "No snogging, close contact or jealous looks."

He pursed his lips. "I don't think I can resist arguing with you."

She grasped his hand once more. "Well, we can do that and plenty of other things at home."

Finally, he smiled. Clara had stayed in his home the previous night, bringing along her pet cat to introduce to his new-born kittens which Mr Darcy took quite well. They spent the whole day relaxing, watching movies and bonding with each other. "My place?"

She giggled. "Yes, yours, since Mr Darcy refuses to leave his family's side."

He felt her squeeze his hand in reassurance.

"I'll leave first and head to the supermarket to get some snacks – that will hopefully be a solid excuse if anybody asks me where I was."

The Doctor nodded. "I will return to my office, then."

"And don't forget to have a chat with Bill… I feel sorry for what happened… I'll have a talk with her myself soon."

"Yes, Boss," he replied, flashing her a smile as she let go of his hand.

Clara gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving and John decided to bide his time. His mind was racing with what he should say to Bill. Apologise. That was the first thing he was going to do tomorrow during their meeting.

Silently, he switched off the lights and stepped out of the room, returning to his office. The idea of coming clean to everyone crossed his mind and then another thought. No, it was too early to say anything. Jack would probably never stop bothering him and Missy, well, she would revel in on the fact that she was right. Maybe sometime after the first semester would be a good time.

\-- 

The Doctor sat impatiently in his chair, shifting about constantly as he was waiting for Bill to arrive. There were bags under his eyes, and he felt a little bit cranky since he wasn't able to sleep the previous night, unlike Clara. She had reassured him sometime after midnight in her groggy state that he was overthinking, which she was right, but he couldn't help it. What if Bill decided to work with somebody else? He loves working with her and he dared to admit she's one of his best students, if not the best. What if she reports him or Clara to the university? Will they get fired?

John kept fidgeting with his hands, even biting his nails at one point, until a knock was heard, startling him a bit. He cleared his throat. "Come in."

A moment later, Bill Potts stepped in, cautiously. She eyed him carefully before taking her seat in the empty chair, flashing him a polite and awkward smile. If only she could erase the image from her mind. There was no doubt that she's happy that her two lecturers are together, but they obviously need to calm down a bit. It's a good thing she has a healthy and functioning heart, otherwise, she would have dropped dead. The accident also taught her a valuable lesson: if a room is rarely used, then it's best to leave it at that.

"Hello."

"Hi," she replied. Oh, God. She wanted the ground to swallow her this very moment.

"Before we begin," John said. "I would just like to apologise."

Bill finally relaxed a bit. The conversation turned out better than she imagined. She thought he was going to ask her to switch to a different supervisor or something of the sort.

"What happened the previous day… it was very unprofessional of us… I mean, Dr Oswald and I, to be doing… that… I'm terribly sorry," he stammered looking everywhere but at her, face burning. "Let's just forget about the whole thing, yes?"

"Trust me, if there's some sort of mind wipe potion or machine I could use, I would have," Bill replied, trying to ease her supervisor who looked as if he was about to collapse from embarrassment.

He scratched the back of his neck. "If only."

"So you and Clara are a thing now?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

The Doctor fiddled the pen he held. "Could you keep it a secret for the time being?"

Bill nodded. She wondered if Jack knew. No. Definitely not.

"Great, if everything's fine and dandy, shall we get started?" he asked, feeling his tensed body easing. "Did you manage to show the full proof for the theorem we looked at last week?"

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, much to the relief of both the supervisor and the student.

John was finally able to unwind completely when Bill left his office. He leaned back against the chair and blew air between his teeth. It went better than expected. Bill, unfortunately, still looks a bit haunted, but she doesn't seem bothered by her two lecturers dating each other, which is a good thing.

When he returned home later in the day, tending to Idris and her two kittens, Clara walked into the master bedroom. Her helmet held in one hand. A moment later, Mr Darcy trailed behind.

"So how did it go?"

"Better than I thought," the Doctor answered, placing one the kittens he held back into the nest. Mr Darcy dashed forward and licked his offspring. John then got to his feet. "She's clearly a bit surprised by what she saw, but aside from that, she approves of us."

Clara raised both eyebrows, eyes wide.

"And she won't tell a soul."

She set the helmet on the nightstand and discarded the messenger bag hanging off her shoulder, placing it next to the bed. "That's good," she commented. "All I have to do is apologise to her on Thursday."

The Doctor hid his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

"And as a way of making up for all the times we ignore each other at work, how about dinner at my place this Friday?" Clara suggested, beaming. She was sure she was going to spend the whole weekday in his home, so they might as well have their dinner date at hers.

"That would be lovely," John answered, flashing her a smile.

"Don't be late."

He chuckled. "My house is next to yours," he retorted. "It would be impossible for me to be late."

She got on her toes and pecked him on the lips. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return home and get changed."

"You can leave some of your belongings here if you'd like," he suggested, hoping it didn't sound rushed. They live next to one another, so it didn't seem out of place all that much for her to spend nights in his home.

Clara pondered for a moment. "I'll do that."

The week passed by and Clara managed to have a chat with Bill, which much to her relief, the student seemed less troubled than before and even joked a bit. Everything turned out fine in the end.

Friday came and the Doctor and Clara went about their usual business, avoiding each other as much as possible, much to Jack's annoyance. Regardless, the two were more than eager to finish work and return home for their date.

Clara Oswald may be an expert in mathematics, but cooking was one of her shortcomings. She wasn't completely useless in the kitchen needless to say, but it made her wish she took the time to properly learn how to prepare a decent meal.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" the Doctor asked from the living room as he looked at the picture frames neatly placed on top of the fireplace for the third time. He was getting a bit worried.

"Everything's fine," she half-growled, getting a bit frustrated that the shrimps weren't cooking properly.

"You're not going to burn the house down, are you?"

"Ha-ha," she grumbled. "If I wanted to do that, I would have cooked at your place."

"Remind me to never let you use the stove in my kitchen."

A second later, Clara felt a presence behind her. As much as she hated to admit it, she would be glad to receive some help.

"The heat is too low," John commented.

She sighed. "Fine, I'm bad at this… extremely bad," she admitted, stepping aside and handing the spatula to him.

"You should watch and learn," he remarked, grinning from ear to ear, feeling her lightly punch his arm. They laughed, happy and content they were spending the weekend together.

\-- 

A loud ringing noise resounded throughout the house and it continued to do so until the sound roused Clara. She inhaled deeply, trying to ignore it and snuggled closer to the man next to her, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. She groaned when the ringing didn't stop.

"Doctor your phone," she murmured, now resting her head on his bare chest, eyes still shut.

He shifted underneath her and hoarsely said: "Not my phone."

They had been up all night, not that he was complaining, but he needed more sleep. The Doctor wrapped one arm around her. "It's your house."

Clara lifted her head, blinking several times as she adjusted to the brightness. It looks like midday.

There's the ringing again.

She sighed, untangling herself from John, as much as she didn't want to, and reached for his shirt lying on the ground and her robe. Who on earth would disturb her on a Saturday morning, well, afternoon?

"I'll be back," she announced, and heard a groan of protest from John, and a second later, he rolled over on his stomach.

She smiled before stepping out of the bedroom and descended down the stairs.

Clara extended an arm, reaching for the handle before pushing it down, pulling open the door.

"Oh, thank goodness – I was just about to phone you, Clara, dear," the elderly woman standing in front of her said before moving forward and giving her a hug.

The lecturer was still too stunned by her presence.

"I told you I'd surprise you by coming down here one day," her nan added, laughing.

Oh. Dear. Lord.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your amazing support! Nan is in the house, so let's see what happens! :D

Clara Oswald couldn't believe her eyes. Her grandmother. Her beloved nan is standing in front of her, in the flesh. A smile formed on her face. She had been wanting her nan to visit her since moving away from London a year ago, and she finally got her wish.

"Nan!" she exclaimed, hugging the elderly woman. "I can't believe that you're actually here!"

"You better believe it," nan replied as she stepped inside, one hand carrying a small suitcase. "It took me five hours to get here."

Clara's smile suddenly dropped when she remembered that the Doctor is upstairs. How on earth is she going to explain to her grandmother what happened? For all she knew, she's under the impression that her granddaughter is still dating Danny.

"It must have been tiring," she commented, slowly feeling nervous. If her nan finds out about the Doctor, she will never, ever live it down and Clara didn't need that right now.

Her grandmother examined her from head to toe before smiling. "Was I interrupting you and your boyfriend?" she asked teasingly, plopping down on the armchair.

Clara forced a laugh. She's screwed and busted. Her nan will figure it out as soon as she meets John. "I have no idea what you're talking-"

"Clara, what's taking you so long?" the Doctor asked, half-whining from upstairs. He sounded groggy, which made his Scottish accent thicker. "And have you seen my shirt?"

There was a mixture of confusion and curiosity written all over nan's face.

"It's with me," she replied meekly, avoiding eye contact with her grandmother who now had a twinkle in her eyes. "My nan's here," she announced.

There was silence for several agonizing seconds. "May I have my shirt back?"

Nan patted her granddaughter on the arm, trying hard not to grin. "Go and help the poor man."

She didn't need to be told twice as she raced upstairs, greeted by sight of the Doctor standing awkwardly in front of her bedroom in nothing but his boxers. Had they been alone, she would have happily taken him back to bed.

"Did I hear you right when you said your grandmother's here?" he asked.

"Yes," Clara answered, pushing him into the bedroom. "Get dressed," she instructed, discarding his shirt and handing it back to him as she began searching for her own clothes.

John couldn't help but stare at her naked body, entranced.

"You look as if you've never seen me like this before," she commented, unable to help herself from giggling as he began blushing.

"Who's the one with the massive ego now," he muttered under his breath and a moment later, felt a pillow hit his back.

"I heard that!" Clara laughed. "And get dressed quickly – my nan is waiting downstairs."

"Yes, boss."

Maybe it was wise to warn him about her grandmother. She was known to be frank and quite frankly, extremely sassy at times. She surely wants to know how her granddaughter ended up sleeping with the man she loathes so much.

"Just a bit of warning though," the impossible girl began. "I used to tell her how much I hate you… so she might be asking lots of questions and make embarrassing comments."

The Doctor furrowed his brows, buttoning his shirt. "You told your nan you hate me?"

"It's a long story, alright," Clara replied, finally dressed. She went over to him and fixed his shirt collar.

"Clara dear, I'm eager to meet the man himself!" nan yelled from downstairs in amusement. "The man who has captured my granddaughter's heart!"

"We're coming, nan!" she answered before taking a step back. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous," John answered sincerely as she fixed her hair.

"Thank you – you don't look half bad yourself," she replied, smirking. "Let's go."

Clara Oswald grabbed his hand and together, they made their way downstairs as she led the way.

She stepped into the living room, a nervous smile on her face. "Nan, this is… John," she introduced, hooking her arm with his. "John, this is my nan."

Her grandmother was silent, staring intently at the Doctor. Her face was emotionless before a smile formed. The last time Clara had mentioned her boyfriend, she had told her he was from London. This John fellow sounds and looks Scottish. The Scottish Bastard as Clara called the Doctor. She was right all along it seems and couldn't wait to find out what had transpired since their last phone call.

"Oh, it's so lovely to meet you!" nan exclaimed, rising to her feet.

John extended an arm to shake her hand, but she surprised him by giving him a hug.

"I've heard a lot about you from my Clara," she added. "Nothing but wonderful things!"

The Doctor shot Clara confused looks, awkwardly hugging the woman. "Um… thank you… it's lovely to meet you too."

"I'm so pleased to have finally met you!"

Her granddaughter arched a brow. She was afraid that her nan might make a comment on how John was slightly a bit older.

"Every single time Clara phones me, she never fails to mention you," nan said, laughing. "And I can definitely see why – you're such a good-looking man!"

"Nan!"

She motioned John to sit down on the sofa. "Relax, dear, I'm too old to be back in the game, though I happily would if you were single," nan commented, winking at the Doctor. "They say 80 is the new 40!"

Clara face-palmed, leaning against John for support, who smiled politely and awkwardly at the elderly woman.

"Nan, please," Clara groaned.

Her grandmother beamed innocently. "It's true, though," she argued. "Nancy went on a date with a chap just last week."

Clara shook her head, unable to help herself from laughing. "So you're fine with us?" she questioned carefully.

"Of course, I am," Nan replied happily. "You've always had a thing for older men."

The Doctor glanced to the woman sitting next to him, amused and curious at the new information. This opens up so many new possibilities. Imagine the banter! Not that he's into it.

Clara grimaced. Her secret is out, and John will surely use it to his advantage. Oh, she's in deep waters now. "No, I don't."

He wrapped an arm around her. "There's no shame in admitting that – it just further proves you were into me since the first time we met."

"Don't be full of yourself, mister."

Nan crossed her legs. "Look at the two of you," she stated. "A young couple in love."

Her granddaughter stood up. Clara knew her nan wasn't quite done just yet and she looks ready to reveal or ask for more information. "You must have had an exhausting journey, nan," the university lecturer began. "I can show you the guest bedroom."

"It's alright, dear, I'm perfectly comfortable where I am now," she replied before focusing her attention on the Doctor. "So, John, you work at the same university as Clara, yes?"

Clara sat back down in defeat.

"That's right," he answered cautiously. It was then curiosity got the better of him. He had been wondering what Clara's nan meant when she mentioned that Clara talks a lot about him. "We almost always nearly collide our vehicles at the gate every morning," he added.

"Oh, she mentions lots of different things – your pet cat stealing food from hers, you playing the guitar."

"Nan, are you sure you don't want to rest first?" Clara asked a bit more sternly this time. She needed to talk to her privately.

Her grandmother leaned forward and patted her on the hand, reassuring her she was fine and didn't need to unwind after such a long journey.

"Speaking of cats, Mr Darcy is a father now – he and John's cat, Idris, have two kittens together."

The Doctor knitted his eyebrows, wondering why Clara desperately wanted to change the subject so much. "They're two weeks old and currently taking refuge my wardrobe."

"How wonderful!" nan exclaimed. "A little cat family!"

"They've been mewing non-stop, though," he commented.

"So that's why you decided to have a date here?" she asked, smirking.

John chuckled. "No, I just didn't want her to burn my house down."

The remark earned him a playful, yet painful pinch on an arm. "You're hilarious," she said sarcastically.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, nan thought it might be time for her to get some proper rest before lunchtime. "I think it would be lovely to have you stay for lunch and dinner, John,"

"Well, I'm a bit unsure about that since I'm sure you would want to spend time with your granddaughter," he stammered as he kept glancing at Clara.

"Either stay for lunch and dinner or stay forever."

"Lunch and dinner are ok with me," John replied hastily.

Clara Oswald hid her face in her hands once more, groaning in embarrassment.

\-- 

While John returned home to get changed and check up on the cats, Clara took the opportunity to have a talk with her grandmother. She has so much to explain to her nan.

Silently, she stepped into the guest bedroom where nan had just started unpacking.

"I told you so," the elderly woman sang, grinning from ear to ear as she turned around to face her granddaughter.

"Yes, you were right, I was wrong," Clara admitted in defeat, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Please stop looking so smug."

"Oh, alright," nan laughed, sitting next to her. "There's just one thing that isn't quite clear to me though."

The mathematician arched a brow, waiting for her grandmother to continue.

"I thought you were dating a man named Danny?"

She had almost forgotten about him since their break-up/break as he had called it. The longest he wouldn't contact her would be a week and it's been two now. How could she remember when there were other things going on in her life? "Yeah, about that…"

"I think the Doctor is a better boyfriend if you ask me," Nan said. "Seems like he'd make a great hubby, too."

"We've only been… dating for two weeks," Clara argued. "We're just getting to know each other."

"You answering the door wearing his shirt screams otherwise, dear."

Clara chuckled. Their secret was slowly being revealed to the whole universe. First Mrs Taylor, then Bill Potts and now her nan. Who's next? Jack?

"It's true, though, we… this whole thing started two weeks ago."

Nan beamed. She was going to enjoy listening to her grandchild's story, from the beginning to the end, and sure enough, she did. More than anything else, she found it amusing how the two realised their feelings for each other after the accidental kiss in the lift.

"Well, it makes sense why you two act like a married couple – you've been pining for each other all this while."

Clara opened her mouth to argue, but then she saw nan's point. She may… or may not have started crushing on him since the first time they met. That was shortly before they became enemies.

The first time she met the Doctor, he was on his way to his office while she was searching for hers. She recalled asking him for directions and couldn't help but notice how handsome he looks. John's mind, was of course, always someplace else and he ended up giving her the wrong directions where she ended up in the Chemistry Department.

She smiled unconsciously, recalling the memory, despite being feeling a bit frustrated at that time. "Maybe."

"Clara, Mr Darcy is with me," the Doctor announced from downstairs. "I think he's looking for you."

"Just let him roam around," she answered before looking straight at her nan.

"Sounds like the Doctor is looking for you if you ask me," nan commented. "Do you boss him around?"

Clara rolled her eyes. "I don't boss people around, nan."

Nan got to her feet. "I shall take that as a yes, now come on, I'm famished – you can order food from your phones now, can you? she inquired. "I'll cook dinner, though."

"Yes, and you don't have to – I can always boss John around."

"He's such lovely company," nan murmured before an idea came to mind as they descended down the stairs. "How long is your Christmas break going to be this time?"

"Three weeks."

Nan smiled to herself. She had never celebrated Christmas at her granddaughter's home, before, so a change of scenery should be pleasant, especially if the Doctor's around.


	15. Chapter 15

Lunch had been relatively simple. Clara had ordered takeaway and after everyone finished their meals, her grandmother retreated to the guest bedroom to get proper rest so that she may cook dinner.

It was the simplest way to get to know her grandchild's boyfriend without scaring him. Well, not too much.

Clara and the Doctor were then left on their own, unsure of what to say. Nan hadn't asked a lot of questions regarding John, just trivial ones such as his hometown and childhood. Nothing too revealing.

However, the couple was still recovering from her sudden appearance. The woman had caught them red-handed, despite the couple wanting to keep their relationship low profile for the time being.

"So, how's Idris and the kittens?" Clara inquired, softly scratching Mr Darcy's head as he purred in approval.

The Doctor shrugged, murmuring quietly that they were fine.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yep, just a bit surprised by your nan… that's all," he answered, flashing her a smile. "She's… really something, and I can where you got most of your sass from."

"It makes me wonder where you got your eyebrows from," she countered, sticking her tongue out.

"Have you run out of insults?"

"I don't know, have you?"

The two mathematicians stared at each other before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"I recall you mentioning something about you mentioning to your nan you hate me?"

She grimaced. "Yes, that was before you asked me out on a date."

"Well, she seems amused by it, so your choice of name for me must have been complimenting."

"Oh, please, as if you didn't hate me before," she countered, rolling her eyes, but smiling at the same time. She wasn't sure how the Doctor will react to the 'Scottish Bastard' nickname since she recently discovered that he is as sensitive as he is grumpy.

"Can't be as bad as the 'Impossible Girl'."

"Stronger language was used."

He titled his head, forming that owl expression she had so become familiar with. "Didn't take you one for swearing like that character from that TV show."

"I am not that foul-mouthed, thank you very much," Clara replied. "There was even a time I considered becoming a school teacher."

The Doctor grinned as she leaned into his shoulder. "Miss Oswald against a classroom full of rowdy, hormonal teenagers – I would pay to see that."

She looked up. "I think I can handle it well since I'm able to handle you."

"Are you suggesting that I'm a rowdy, hormonal teenager?"

"You act like one in the bedroom," she deadpanned, anticipating his reaction to being that of confusion and slight offence. "Just the hormonal teenager bit."

John frowned before Clara gave in and giggled.

"Alright," she began, staring at the television. "I called you the 'Scottish Bastard'."

She had expected him to grumble in disapproval or even ignore her confession, but to her surprise, he laughed. The Doctor took notice of her silence.

"In case you have forgotten, I'm Scottish and it's normal for people to call each other bastards."

"I'm just surprised you took it better than expected."

"What makes you say that?"

Clara bit her lower lip. "You're sensitive."

The Doctor furrowed his brows once more. "No, I'm not."

Her point had been proven, but she decided not to say anything and decided to change the subject. "Anyway, I finished my paper and submitted it yesterday," she said. "If all goes well, it should get published after Christmas and we will be on a tie."

"As your rival, I'm not fazed since there's still plenty of time," he answered. "But as your Scottish Bastard, that's great."

He then tilted his head and planted a kiss on her head.

"You're going down."

"Not if I publish another paper."

They resumed watching television together before a thought came to Clara.

"I just remembered something," she mentioned. "Will you be around during Christmas time or are you going home?"

"My home is next to yours, o doctor who submitted her paper yesterday."

"I meant Glasgow, o Fields Medal recipient."

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I usually spend Christmas alone or with Missy."

"Don't you feel lonely?"

"I've had Idris keeping me company for the past three years and now there are two more kittens to do that job."

Clara couldn't help but wonder if he felt lonely deep down.

"Why do you ask?'

She shrugged. "Just curious."

"Is your nan going to invite me to spend Christmas with your family?" he asked sarcastically.

\-- 

"Are you going to your hometown for Christmas, John?" nan asked casually shortly after everyone began eating dinner.

The Doctor looked up from his plate, startled. "Sorry?"

"Christmas," Nan repeated. "Are you spending Christmas in Glasgow?"

The last time he had celebrated the holiday in Scotland was almost fifteen years ago when he worked at Edinburgh. He never really saw any reason to return to his hometown since he didn't even own a home there, to begin with. "No, I usually just celebrate it here or at my sister's if she's not on holiday."

Nan set down the fork she held. "I don't know about you, but I'm thinking of celebrating Christmas here with Clara."

Clara Oswald furrowed her brows. Her grandmother didn't mention any of that to her, not that she was complaining. For once, she didn't have to take the trouble to pack and travel all the way back to Blackpool only to be criticised by her step-mother for taking so long to get there. "That's great."

"Oh, I'm sure Dave and Linda will appreciate the change of scenery."

The Doctor remained silent as his mind began racing. As far as he was aware, Missy isn't going to spend Christmas in some tropical country this year. She might be staying at his home for a few days.

"You can introduce this handsome boyfriend of yours to your father."

Clara forced a smile, unsure of whether if it was too early to introduce John to the rest of her family.

Her boyfriend was still quiet, wondering if the universe was playing a trick on him. Spending Christmas with Clara's family is one thing, but doing so while Missy is next door? How is he going to juggle that?

"So what do you say, John?"

"Pardon?" he replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

"How about spending Christmas with us this year?" Nan asked, smiling.

He cleared this throat, trying to gather his thoughts. "That sounds lovely, but it's something I have to think about."

"Well, you live next door, so don't think about it too long," the elderly woman advised, winking.

The Doctor could only smile in return. Christmas this year will definitely be interesting.

Later that night, as the couple was getting ready for bed, Clara stared at the man currently occupying her en-suite, brushing his teeth. She dated Danny for almost and never had the chance to introduce him to her family. It never bothered her that much, but this time, she couldn't help but entertain the idea with the Doctor.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he questioned, stepping out of the bathroom and switching off the lights.

"Am I not allowed to do whatever I want in my own house now?"

"Yes," John answered, climbing into bed before his pillow was snatched away from him.

"You won't be sleeping with this tonight, because guess what, Doctor, I can do whatever I want in my house."

"Technically speaking, you're just renting this place, which just so happens to belong to my sister."

A pillow hit his arm, followed by laughter. "I'm paying to live here!"

Clara handed him the pillow back and rested her head on hers. A moment later, she felt the Doctor wrap his strong arms around her, scooting closer. "I think it would be nice to spend Christmas with you."

"I like the idea, Clara," he whispered, entwining their hands. "But, I'm not sure if Missy is coming or not… likely the former."

She remained silent for a while, pondering their options. They could come clean to his sister, obviously, and that would solve the problem. "We could tell her?"

He considered the option carefully. "I don't think I trust her to keep a secret for long."

"How on earth are you supposed to be celebrating Christmas with us when she's with you?"

"Well, Missy usually drops by at around midday and prefers to just stick around for two or three hours."

"That could work."

The Doctor inhaled the smell of her hair. "I just have to sneak in and out of the house… easy peasy."

Clara laughed. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"I have an idea but it's not coming to me yet."

She chuckled, earning grumble.

"Now hush and let me sleep."

Clara rolled over so she could face him. "Who's the bossy one now?"

"You."

"If we keep talking, nan might get the wrong idea."

John fought the urge to smile and shut his eyes. "Good night, Clara Oswald."

She pecked him on the lips before hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

The morning after went through like a breeze. Nan insisted on cooking breakfast, despite receiving protests from her beloved granddaughter, the couple sent her off at the train station just after noon and then returned home to finish their work and prepare for the week ahead. All in all, a surprising, yet humorous and pleasant weekend.

So, when Monday finally came, they were back to their routine.

"Anybody looking forward to the upcoming Christmas break?" Jack asked, entering the break room. "I only have one thing that I want for Christmas this year."

Bill and Dan, who were chatting about their respective dissertations, decided to entertain their lecturer. "What would that be?"

As if on cue, the Doctor and Clara entered the room, both glaring at each other in silence.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need," Jack sang. "I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree."

"Jack, Christmas is a month away," John stated in annoyance.

"I just want you for my own more than you could ever know to make my wish come true," he continued. "All I want for Christmas is for you to get together with you," Jack finished, pointing from the Doctor to Clara.

The couple stared at their colleague for a brief second before going about their business, pretending not to acknowledge one another and then returned to their respective offices.

Jack took the opportunity to follow his best friend. "So, got any plans for Christmas?"

"Do I look as if I'll be going anywhere?" John retorted.

"Who knows, for all I know, you could be planning a little getaway trip with Clara."

The Doctor froze before quick thinking took over. "Yes, I'll be spending Christmas in the Maldives with none other than Clara Oswald," he said sarcastically, hoping it would be enough to fool Jack.

"Really wish you would," he muttered before approaching the door. "But I am serious about what I want for Christmas this year."

It seems like his wish has already come true.

John opened his email and saw an important message from Ian. "Yes, yes."

"I don't want a lot for Christmas there is just one thing I need," Jack sang as he left, shutting the door.

The Doctor finally got the chance to read the email properly.

It was apparently a notice regarding the upcoming science festival after the first-semester exam. He would have to work with Clara again, which he didn't mind at all, but it surely meant that Jack would pester them further. The whole department is probably now working together to matchmake him and Clara.

First Christmas with Clara's family and now this. What a way to end and start the year.


	16. Chapter 16

**One Month Later**

John "The Doctor" Smith had been trying to get his two kittens to behave for the past hour or so, and the fact that both Michael and Lily refused to even acknowledge his presence made him feel a bit irritated. They were running around the living room, exploring their new place, Clara's living room, now the playground. He didn't want to leave them unsupervised while next door.

Idris was currently lying in a cat bed in one corner of the room. Motherhood had clearly taken its toll on her as she was currently sleeping, unaware of her misbehaving litter. Mr Darcy, on the other hand, was upstairs, watching Clara clean the master bedroom in preparation for her family's arrival the next day.

"Michael, do not hide underneath the sofa," John grumbled, gently pulling him out and placing him in the cat bed next to his mother's.

Lily attempted to jump on the TV stand, but was swiftly scooped away, and placed next to her brother. "No, do not go there."

"Just be nice to me for once and behave," the Doctor said sternly, hoping his attack eyebrows would do the trick. All the two kittens did was stare him in curiosity before jumping over to their mother, feeling hungry.

He let out a sigh of relief. At least they won't be running around anytime soon.

"You sound as if you're managing air traffic," Clara commented as she descended down the stairs, carrying a set of bedsheets. Mr Darcy followed behind her before racing over to his bed and curled into a ball.

"They're little devils," John replied, collapsing on the sofa.

"I wonder how you're going to handle children," she said without thinking, attempting to stuff the bedsheets into the washer.

He immediately sat up straight and shot her a surprised look.

She grimaced, realising what her comment implied. "That's not what I meant."

"And what exactly were you implying, Dr Oswald?" he asked in amusement.

Clara crossed her arms and flashed him a confident smile. "I was referring to the science festival."

The couple discovered that not only will they be working together, but they were also assigned to handle children between the ages of 7 to 10. They even spent an evening deciding the activities for the festival, so as to avoid the children from being bored.

"I have that covered with my Mobius strip demonstration."

"You make it sound as if your audience is aware of what a Mobius strip is," she giggled.

He frowned. "What makes you think I can't handle a bunch of ten-year-olds?"

"You're impatient."

If Clara was completely honest, she was curious to see how he would interact with kids. It's either going to go smoothly or the children somehow will end up causing chaos under his command.

"I am not impatient in general," he answered. "I'm only impatient when I face stupidity."

She arched a brow, recalling the time John had waited by the window one day, eager for the postman to arrive to deliver a book he ordered and that one time he wanted to hit a Tesco cashier with his shoe for trying to get him to join their membership.

"You're not convinced."

"No."

"Well, what you claim is not true."

Clara burst into a fit of giggles before she went over to him and crashed their lips together. "It's alright, I still very much fancy you."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I fancy you just as much, Clara," he murmured. He leaned closer to kiss her, lips inches away before the moment was interrupted by a ringing phone.

Clara sighed and grabbed her phone from the coffee table, wondering who was calling on Christmas Eve.

Danny.

She stared at his name for a second before rejecting the call and putting the electronic device away.

"Is everything alright?" the Doctor asked. He couldn't help but notice she had a strange look on her face for a moment.

"Yeah, I didn't recognise the number so I just thought that I might as well not answer it," she lied and then pushed him back down on the sofa. "Where were we?"

John set the matter aside as his mind couldn't think of anything else aside from the woman currently kissing him.

\-- 

He wasn't sure if his plan was going to be foolproof. It sounded foolproof in his mind when he came up with it, but reality always has a few unexpected surprises. It was Christmas morning.

Clara had spent the night in the Doctor's home as he needed to have the kittens around so that he has a valid excuse to get away from her family every now and then and avoid suspicion with Missy.

The couple had a pleasant morning, wishing each other and spent in bed for a few hours before braving the storm.

She had notified him that her family would arrive at around four or five in the evening, which would give him time to meet Clara's family as they were expected to arrive two hours before Missy.

Once Idris and the kittens were safe and sound in their cage, John headed next door, dressed in a plain white shirt underneath the blue jumper and a pair of black trousers.

"Look at you," Clara complimented. "That homeless magician look is gone and replaced by a handsome professor."

"Ha, ha," John laughed sarcastically before pecking her on the cheek. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," she replied, flashing him a bright smile. "How are the kittens and Idris?"

The Doctor grabbed a freshly baked gingerbread cookie. "Fine, but Idris isn't too happy I had to confine her in the cage for a few hours."

"It'll spare them the torture and trouble of meeting my step-mum."

Clara had mentioned her step-mother to him on several occasions and he had heard nothing but bad things about her. If he was quite honest, he wasn't sure if Linda was as horrible as she had been described. "I'm actually a bit more nervous about meeting your father."

At the mention of this, she merely giggled, helping herself to another cookie. "I'm sure dad will love you- nan does!"

"I think love is an understatement when it comes to nan."

"Worst case scenario is Linda criticising my choice of partner."

"Flattering," he muttered, rolling his eyes before Mr Darcy came over and rubbed his head against John's leg.

Clara chuckled. "Stop looking so nervous," she said gently, holding his hand.

The Doctor had every reason to. It had been far too long since he had found himself in this sort of situation. He squeezed her hand, giving her an assuring smile before the doorbell rang.

"That would be them."

She hurried over to the front door, while he remained in the kitchen, savouring the moment before meeting her family.

"Nan, dad, Merry Christmas!" Clara exclaimed happily as she hugged them both. Her smile then dropped when Linda came inside. "Linda."

"Clara."

Nan decided to calm both her granddaughter and daughter-in-law before world war three erupted due to the tension. "Where's my favourite future grandson-in-law!"

John emerged from the kitchen, a nervous smile on his face as nan gave him a warm hug and kissed his cheek.

"Dad, this is John, my boyfriend," Clara introduced, wrapping an arm around the Doctor. "John, this is my father."

Dave was silent, a neutral expression on his face. Nan had mentioned his daughter's boyfriend to him on many occasions, gushing over how handsome and intelligent he is, but he didn't expect said boyfriend to be an older man. "Dave."

"He's old," Linda semi-whispered to her husband.

"He looks young to me," Nan added. "Age is just a number, after all."

Clara wished she could say whatever was on her mind to Linda, but she bit her tongue. It was Christmas, after all, and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin it.

Mr Darcy then ran into the living room, searching for his owner before sitting on her lap.

"I see you're still keeping that… thing," Linda commented with disdain, as she wasn't fond of the feline, especially after he attempted to bite her foot last year.

"This 'thing' is Mr Darcy and yes, he's my pet," Clara corrected before she felt John wrap an arm around her.

Nan wished there was something more she could do to stop the two women from bickering at every family gathering. "Speaking of cats, do you have one yourself, John?" she asked, despite knowing the answer.

He flashed her a warm smile. "I do, three of them, actually," he replied. "Idris, and her two kittens, Michael and Lily."

An hour passed and the family was still chatting, with Nan doing most of the work. Dave was silent most of the time, staring at the Doctor in confusion while Linda looked as if she would rather be anywhere but in her stepdaughter's home.

"I'm just going to check on the turkey," Clara announced, glancing at John briefly. "Care to help me?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered immediately.

"Right, why don't everyone get settled in upstairs?"

As soon as the couple entered the kitchen, Clara let out a tired sigh. "I don't think I can take more of Linda's unhelpful and useless comments."

"I think your father hates me."

She had initially assumed that her father had been a bit surprised his daughter was dating an older man, but now that gave it a second thought, perhaps he does hate him, which irks her. A lot. "No, I… think he's just…"

"Unhappy his daughter is dating an old man?"

She rolled her eyes placing both hands on his shoulder. "I only call you an old man because it's amusing to me," she explained. "So please let that go for now."

"Alright," he sighed.

Clara got on her toes gave her boyfriend a good snog to lift his spirits a bit. "Do you want to check on the cats?" she asked, wondering if they were resenting being locked up.

"Yes, I think I should," he said, freeing her from his embrace. The motion camera he had set up in the upper floor where Idris and the kittens were hadn't notified him of anything out of the blue yet, but it was always good to check.

The Doctor gave Clara a quick kiss before silently hurrying off into the garden, to sneak into his home. There were several boxes propped up next to the fence and all he had to do was climb over, which was relatively easy.

Making his way upstairs, he checked on the cats, satisfied that they were behaving and eating the food he had provided. "I'm sorry you're stuck in here, but I can't have Michael and Lily running around and risking injuring themselves," he said to Idris, who merely looked at him in resentment.

After playing with the kittens for a few minutes, he placed them back inside the cage and stood up.

Suddenly, the phone in the pocket of his trousers rang.

Missy.

John hesitated for a brief moment. Why on earth would she call him now? Is she here? It's far too early, or maybe she has to cancel her plans. That would be fantastic, and the thought of it made him answer the call.

"Hello, it is I, Missy, your sister and vice-chancellor, I'm five minutes away and I need you to wait downstairs so you can help me carry the turkey."

The Doctor furrowed his brows. "What?!"

"Yeah, yeah, shut it," Missy grumbled. "I know we don't do this sort of thing, but then I thought why not since we usually just order takeaway or reheat frozen food."

This was not what he and Clara had planned.

"I've cooked the turkey so all you have to do is stick it back in the oven."

"Oh… um… ok…," he replied, unsure of what else to say.

"Just wait downstairs, I'm almost here."

Missy hung up the call and left her brother staring at the white wall. His sister is early and she's bringing a turkey. How is he going to have two Christmas dinners?

He regained his rationality and sent Clara a message while rushing downstairs where a black car was parked next to his beloved Mercedes.

"Merry Christmas, John Smith," Missy said, stepping out of the vehicle and opening the passenger door. "Hope I wasn't interrupting your solitude," she commented sarcastically.

Missy Smith had no idea.

Yet.


	17. Chapter 17

The Doctor placed the turkey in the oven, deciding it was the best place to leave the Christmas dinner there as the fridge he owned wasn't large enough to accommodate it.

"The place seems clean, cosy," Missy commented, inspecting the hallway and living room. "Are you expecting somebody else?"

"No," he retorted, turning around to face her. "It's Christmas and you can't expect me to let my home turn into a pig-sty."

The vice-chancellor stared at her brother for a second longer. Why the hell was he dressed as if he's on a date? "Well, it's just that there's something different about this place since the last time I was here."

Her brother shrugged. "I haven't done anything to it."

She felt as if there was more to it but decided to let it go since it was Christmas, as much as she hated the holiday. "So where are the kittens?" she inquired, setting the small luggage she held next to the armchair.

"They're upstairs," he answered. "I had to keep them in the cage while cleaning the house."

Without another word, Missy grabbed her suitcase and went upstairs to unpack. Surely enough, she was greeted by the sight of a large cage sitting in the corridor of her brother's room. Idris ignored her while Michael and Lily stared at the new stranger.

"You don't happen to know what's going on, do you?" she asked the kittens.

If only they could speak. If only.

Back downstairs, the Doctor took the opportunity to return to the house next door where Clara was waiting for him in the kitchen, a worried look washed over her when she saw him.

"Please tell me that was just a prank and that your sister isn't really here yet," she said, eyes wide. It was too soon. Nothing would go according to plan.

The Doctor gave her an apologetic look. He wished he was joking, but he wasn't. "She brought a turkey, albeit, a small one, but a Christmas dinner nonetheless."

She groaned, hiding her face in her hands, wondering if there was a way to tackle the obstacle they were facing.

"I don't think we'll be sitting at the dinner table and having a traditional Christmas dinner," he added hastily, unable to bear seeing Clara distraught. "I think she just brought a turkey for the sake of it."

"Yes, but how are you going to sneak around, then?"

An idea came to him. The motion camera. He flashed her a reassuring smile, pulling out his smartphone. "I have this, remember?" he stated, shaking the device. "My sister will probably just stay in her room for the rest of the evening."

She blew air between her teeth, pondering, thinking. "Well, our turkey is done, so dinner will be served when everyone else comes downstairs."

"It'll be fine," the Doctor assured her once more, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Is everything alright in the kitchen?" Nan asked in concern as she stepped inside.

Clara forced a smile. "Yep, just… you know… stressed about dad and Linda."

Her grandmother waved her hand. "Oh, there's no need to worry about that, dear," she replied. "Your father is just surprised is all."

"I just hope that evil cat doesn't get anywhere near our room," the three heard Linda commet.

Nan then whispered, "Just ignore her like you always do."

She then left the kitchen, remembering the present she left in the living room. "Clara dear, would you come here for a moment?"

Nan held an envelope in one hand, flashing the couple a warm smile. "Your father and I got you and John a little Christmas present," she stated. "And in case you're wondering, it's not money," she added cheekily.

Clara embraced her grandmother. "Thank you so much, nan – I'm sure we'll love whatever it is," she said before hugging her father.

Dave chuckled. "I love those funny looking socks you got for me."

The Doctor then hugged nan, as he didn't want to seem as awkward as he actually is. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, sweetheart," she replied in a flirtatious manner, sitting down on the sofa. "Now where's my present?"

Clara beamed. "Don't worry, nan, we didn't forget."

"Is it great-grandchildren?" her grandmother inquired, feigning the façade of innocence. "I've always wanted great-grandchildren."

John coughed while Clara furrowed her brows in shock. Both mathematicians were blushing furiously. Just a day ago, they had an accidental conversation regarding kids, and now this. Her father and Linda were staring at them, anticipating an answer.

Clara Oswald could only laugh. "Nan," she groaned.

"What?" she said defensively. "If you ask me, John here looks like he has dad skills."

The Doctor could only stand in awkward silence.

"I bet he is wonderful with children."

Clara was immediately reminded of the science festival. That was, well, is something she's looking forward to. "Anyway," she said, changing the subject and opening the storage door by the stairs. She produced a rectangular box. "Merry Christmas, Nan."

"I'm curious to know what's inside," the elderly lady murmured as she took off the lid. Inside was a blue t-shirt, with the words 'Sassiest Nan in the UK' written on it in bold white letters.

The living room was filled with laughter.

"It was actually John's idea," Clara added.

The couple had been out shopping in Oxford Street a few weeks ago and when the Doctor spotted the t-shirt at a shop they were passing by, he couldn't help but make a comment and the next thing he knew, his girlfriend had thought it would be the perfect gift for her grandmother.

"Well, I absolutely love it – thank you," Nan said, holding up the t-shirt. "I'll just ask for great-grandkids on my birthday."

Another awkward silence filled the room.

Everyone was saved from second-hand embarrassment when the Doctor's phone started beeping. He immediately pulled it out to thank whatever had saved him.

The motion camera.

He cleared this throat, glancing at Clara. "I… um… the cats…"

"It's fine, I'll just get dinner ready while you check on them," she replied, smiling as she stood up.

He mimicked her actions. They hurried off into the kitchen, leaving the three guests puzzled.

"Where is he going?" Dave asked, exchanging looks with his mother.

"It's probably quicker to go through the back or something," nan replied, shrugging it off.

In the kitchen, John was about to explain the real reason he used his pets as a distraction. "The camera just picked up movement and it's Missy," he explained, debating whether he should return to his house.

"Maybe she's just wandering around?"

"No, it looks as if she's looking for me," he said, handing Clara his phone which showed a live feed of the hallway.

She stared at it for a few seconds. "I think you should go and come back here as soon as you can," she suggested.

"That's what I thought," he replied, hurrying off once more.

As soon as he opened the back door, the Doctor was greeted by the sight of his sister rummaging through his fridge.

"Oh, there you are," she muttered, not even glancing in his direction. "What were you doing in the garden?"

"I thought I heard something," he lied through quick thinking, avoiding looking at her. "Thought it might be Dr Bosswald's cat."

"You mean your girlfriend?"

He forced a frown.

Missy then found an unopened box of chocolates in the back and pulled it out. "I'm taking these."

"Be my guest," John sighed, treading upstairs to check on the cats. He knelt in front of their cage. "Just bear with me for a few more hours," he whispered.

"When are you planning to have the turkey?" Missy yelled from downstairs.

"Do we really have to dine together?" he whined.

"I didn't spend hours on it only for it to rot."

The Doctor ran a hand through his silver curls. Why couldn't he just have a quiet Christmas dinner with Clara and her family? Why did Missy have to be so… Missy? He loves his sister, but that woman gets on his nerves sometimes. "We can eat together in an hour or two," he yelled back.

Returning downstairs, he decided to switch on the television so that he could pretend to be watching television while waiting for his sibling to go back upstairs.

"I think Shrek in on BBC," Missy commented, taking a bite of a piece of chocolate.

He turned around to face her. "Do I look like I'm twelve to you?"

"You behave like one," she answered, walking up the steps.

The Doctor waited until he heard the door close before dashing back to the garden. Climbing over the fence, he straightened his jumper before stepping inside the house.

Laughter could be heard coming from the dining area.

"And then the eggs went flying across the supermarket!" Nan exclaimed.

Clara glanced to her right and she caught a glimpse of John entering the kitchen. They made eye contact and he rushed over to her side.

"I hope I didn't intrude and miss anything," he murmured, sitting next to his partner.

"No, Nan was just telling us how she accidentally sent several eggs flying across Tesco," she explained, silently hoping that everything was still under control.

John chuckled. "Sounds like fun."

Dinner went by smoothly despite the couple receiving a few snarky remarks from Linda. Dave had slowly warmed up to John and the mathematician ended up talking about black holes. Nan was more than happy to receive a free lecture from her future grandson-in-law.

Clara would call it a victory. Things went according to plan. All the Doctor had to do now was to return to his home and then sneak back to hers so he could stay for the night. The plan sounded simple in their heads, but not with Missy lurking around.

They had retreated to the kitchen once more with Clara eager to open their Christmas present from Dave and Nan.

"What do you think it is?" she asked, holding the white envelope with both hands.

"I'm guessing concert tickets?" he replied. "Or maybe tickets to a show?"

"Maybe," she murmured, opening the envelope carefully.

It was a neatly folded piece of paper. Unfolding the document, she scanned the contents, eyes wide. "They got us tickets to Kuala Lumpur," she revealed, finally looking up.

"What?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"We're flying there next year in April… even the hotel is sorted."

John took the booking confirmation from Clara. "Two weeks," he read. "This is nice of them."

Suddenly, Clara laughed. "This is probably Nan's plan in order for her to have great-grandchildren."

The Doctor merely gave her a confused look. Was it too early to talk about children? They keep bumping into the topic, but he didn't want to make her feel awkward, so he decided to remain silent.

"I was joking," she said, wondering if John dislikes children.

"I know," he answered awkwardly, handing back the letter. "Right, I have to return home now before Missy suspects something."

"Good luck sitting through another Christmas dinner," Clara commented as she followed him outside to the back garden.

The Doctor took the first step up the wooden box. "If I'm honest, I don't think I can eat another turkey," he confessed. "Your grandmother just kept forcing me to eat."

"She has a habit of doing that."

"I'll see you very soon," he stated, bending down and giving her a peck on the lips.

"Your Christmas present will be waiting."

He shot her a suggestive look.

She burst into a fit of giggles. "Not what I meant, but we'll see."

"We'll see?" he repeated, climbing over the fence.

Out of the blue, a torchlight was shone into John's face, and he nearly lost his balance while trying to cross over to his side of the garden. Quick thinking saved him as he held onto the fence.

"Well, well, well," Missy muttered sarcastically, moving the light back and forth between John and Clara. She was dressed in a pair of fluffy slippers and a white robe "What do we have here – a secret rendezvous?"

Fuck.

They're fucked.


	18. Chapter 18

The Doctor and Clara froze, shocked by Missy's sudden appearance. How did she figure it out? How did she know that her brother was sneaking about and where did she get the pair of fluffy slippers she was wearing because John certainly didn't have those lying around in his home.

Slowly, he climbed over to the other side, putting on a neutral expression. Oh, he had so much to explain to Missy, and did she have the biggest sarcastic smile on her face right now.

"So, you had an ich and you just had to scratch it, didn't you?" she commented.

"I was having dinner with Clara's family," he replied defensively, crossing his arms.

His sister switched off the torchlight. "I know."

"What?!" the couple exclaimed.

As much as she would love to explain how she knew what was going on, she would rather do it indoors where it was a lot warmer, but her answer is a fairly simple one, so all she did was point at the window before returning to the house, leaving a stunned Clara and John.

"She saw us through her bedroom window," the Doctor muttered in disbelief. How could he miss such an obvious detail?

"I saw more than that," Missy added before finally stepping inside the warm home. She didn't need to say a single word for her brother and his partner to follow her.

Clara climbed up the boxes as John held her hand.

"You do realise you can just go around, right?" the Doctor pointed out.

"Hush, I can't be bothered right now," she replied as she climbed over after a bit of difficulty due to her height.

He caught her just in time as she was about to slip.

"Thank you," she murmured as they made their way inside.

Missy was currently seated by the dining table, warming her hands with a cup of tea. "It took you ages to get here."

"Well excuse us, your grace," John answered sarcastically.

The couple took their seats on the opposite side. Clara couldn't help but shoot worried glances at the vice-chancellor. Is she going to get fired for good this time?

"No one's getting fired," Missy pointed out, bringing the cup to her lips. She couldn't help but notice how terrified Clara looked. It was Christmas, so she decided to be nice for once instead of torturing a poor soul. She then locked eyes with her brother. "Spill the beans."

The Doctor shot a glare. "We're together, big bloody deal."

"I do believe it is since the both of you have been acting as if you're mortal enemies," his sister argued. "This isn't Highlander."

"You're not going to, um," he began. "Tell the whole university, right?"

Clara finally found her voice. "We'd prefer if you could keep this secret," she said. "For a while at least."

Missy rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll keep your stupid little secret from the ignorant people," she muttered. "I was hoping I could use this to kill Jack."

The couple exchanged looks. "Why would you want to kill him?"

The vice-chancellor pursed her lips. "I hate his guts and if he dies of happiness, nobody suspects a thing."

Clara and John weren't entirely convinced that Jack would drop dead as soon as he heard that his colleagues got together. Pass out, sure, but dying is stretching it a bit.

"Rules are rules, however," Missy added. "No quickies at uni," she teased, rising to her feet.

The Doctor was tempted to prove his sister wrong until he remembered the little incident involving Bill. That was close as he and Clara could get to a 'quickie'.

"By the way, your Christmas present is on the coffee table," his sister stated before disappearing upstairs, giving the couple some much-needed privacy.

There was an awkward silence in the room until John scratched the back of his head. "Well, that was interesting."

"Yes, it was," Clara agreed. It could have been worse. She could have been fired, but she wasn't. "Funny how more and more people are starting to find out about us."

The Doctor hummed in agreement before he got to his feet and informed her that he was going to set Idris and the kittens free. They had been caged for long enough.

Returning downstairs, he grabbed the white envelope sitting on the coffee table.

"Please tell me your sister didn't get tickets to Kuala Lumpur, too," Clara joked as he settled next to her.

He shook his head. "No, she always gives me money," he replied. "It apparently saves her time and a headache from figuring out what to get me."

"That's actually clever."

The Doctor folded the envelope and slid it into the pocket of his trousers. "So, what now?"

"We head back to my place, I guess, before everyone starts wondering where we are."

He nodded. "If I'm completely honest, I'd rather stay at yours tonight."

She beamed. "Eager to get your present?"

"I don't know, are you excited to get yours?" he retorted as she hooked her arm around his.

"Merry Christmas, sis!" John yelled, unable to help himself from grinning. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was strange, in a way.

"I'm not taking care of your pets if that's what you're hoping!" his sister answered. She was generous, but she wasn't that considerate.

He ignored her. "Not what I was implying."

"Do you think Idris and the kittens will be fine?" Clara asked as they stepped out into the cold night.

"I've left enough food and water for them," the Doctor answered. "The litter box is clean, so yes, they'll be fine."

"Oh, there you two are," Nan greeted as they entered the house, a glass of water in her hand. "I was beginning to wonder where you went," she murmured, giving them a suggestive look.

"John just needed some help with the kittens," her granddaughter immediately said.

The elderly woman was unconvinced. She winked at the couple. "Right, 'kittens'," she stated, walking up the stairs.

Just when the Doctor thought the teasing was over, he received a text message. One that came from across the pond.

__  
'Merry Christmas to the Doctor and his future bride *wink* *wink*! Hugs and lots of kisses - Jack'

'P.S. Oh baby do you what that's worth, oh heaven is a place on earth. They say in heaven love comes first'  


"What is it?" Clara asked, wondering why he looked both amused and annoyed.

"Jack said Merry Christmas," he replied, putting away the phone.

Clara arched a brow, taking two steps on the staircase. It might the height difference between them a little bit less noticeable. "That can't be all he said."

"No, as you would expect from Jack Harkness," John chuckled as he followed her upstairs. "Anyway, I'm more than ready to receive my Christmas present."

She giggled in response, before entering the bedroom and then turning around to face him. "Down boy," she whispered. "And for the record, it's not something that's out of this world."

"I'm sure you're going to love whatever it is," he commented, hiding one hand in the pocket of his trousers, fiddling with the small wrapped box.

Clara said nothing as she opened the closet door and knelt down to pull out a square box. "Merry Christmas, John Smith," she murmured, before getting on her toes and kissing him.

John unwrapped the present and grinned when he saw the content inside. A black shirt with stars all over it. "This is very me."

"Which is why I got it for you."

"Thank you, I absolutely love it," he said sincerely, flashing her a warm smile.

Clara gave him a quick peck. "I'm glad you do, now if you'll excuse me, I need to get a shower because I feel icky."

"What about your present?"

She turned around. "Wait till I've changed into my pyjamas?"

John merely nodded as the door shut.

After half an hour, the couple were dressed in their pyjamas and in bed. Clara was more than eager to call it a day, but not before receiving her gift since John still looks nervous.

He lifted his pillow and produced a small square box. "I um… got you this… Merry Christmas."

She decided to tease him a bit. The box was too flat to contain a ring anyway. "You're not proposing are you?"

"No, no," he replied hastily. "That would be weird, wouldn't it… I mean, it's not weird, but-"

Her laughter ceased his rambling. "Relax, it's very, very unlikely I'll hate whatever you got me."

He watched anxiously as she unwrapped the present, earning a smile when she saw the present, a simple silver necklace. "I… it's… this is the one that I saw at the jewellery shop."

The Doctor beamed, proud that he got it right for once. "Exactly – and there's actually something else underneath cushion, or whatever it's called."

Clara looked confused for a moment before she lifted the cushion and saw a small key.

"That's the key to my house," he said quietly.

She bit her bottom lip, wondering how the man sitting next to her could be so sweet and is actually a big softie on the inside. "I love you," she murmured, looking into his eyes.

The words were like music to his ears, but he couldn't help but notice how watery her eyes looked. John tilted his head to one side, brows furrowed. Why would Clara look so sad if she just confessed her feelings? "You look as if you're about to cry."

She giggled, putting away the gifts. "Nah, there was probably something in my eye," she said, blinking several times. She leaned forward and planted a gentle and loving kiss on his lips.

The Doctor realised that there was something different about this particular snogging session. It felt as if he could sense an unfamiliar feeling coming from the woman kissing him. It was warm and fuzzy and made his heart jump.

"I love you even more, Clara Oswald," he murmured once they pulled away, a thumb caressing her cheek.

"And to think that a few months ago, we hated each other's guts."

The Doctor lay on his back, pulling Clara down with him. She rested her head on his shoulder, a hand gently rubbing his chest. "I suppose we should thank the malfunctioning lift."

She quickly switched off the lamp on the bedside table and returned to his embrace. Just as slumber was about to greet her, a loud ringing noise resonated throughout the room.

The mathematician sighed and extended her arm to see who was bothering her. She had deleted Danny's number the previous day, but she could still recall the digits that were flashing on her screen. "It's just a wrong number," she muttered, silencing the phone.

John merely hummed, eyes closed.

Clara shut her eyes, determined to get some good night's rest. This was the best Christmas she had since mother died and there was no way an ex was going to ruin it. She suddenly felt a hand caressing her arm soothingly and smiled.

\-- 

"Oh, I can't believe we have to leave already," Nan complained the next day as she settled down on the sofa. "I'm enjoying Clara and John's company far too much."

"Mum," Dave began gently. "I'm sorry, but I have to work tomorrow," he explained and glanced down the hallway. Why was Linda taking so long in the bathroom?

"It's alright, nan," Clara said. "We'll get to see each other soon – the science festival is next month."

"I'm looking forward to it," the grandmother replied, flashing a smile at John. "Do I get another free lecture?"

"Something of the sort," the Doctor answered shyly. "But I will be talking to children."

Nan's eyes lit up. "That's even better!" she exclaimed, shooting an amused look at her granddaughter. It was then she noticed the jewellery around Clara's neck. There was a key attached to it.

Finally, Linda emerged from the bathroom.

As soon as they bid goodbye from the vehicle and it disappeared down the road, Clara let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I won't be seeing Linda for a while."

"You're not the only one," John added, shutting the door. "Now that that's taken care of, let's take care of Missy so we can kick up our feet and finally relax."

"Hang on, your sister's leaving too?"

He nodded. "Flying to Hong Kong later tonight, remember?"

She had vaguely remembered him mentioning this to her several weeks back. "When is she leaving?"

A beeping noise was heard coming from John's phone. "Impeccable timing," he commented, reading the message. "Now."

"The universe is on our side for once," Clara said, unlocking the door.

A wise person once said that you shouldn't count your chickens before they've hatched. Who knows what might transpire during the science festival.


	19. Chapter 19

**One Month Later**

Idris was cross. She felt cross and she conveyed that she was cross. The feline showed this by glaring menacingly at her owner who had taken her to the vet just two hours ago. She refused to eat, drink or even lie down on the bed. No, she wanted to make it clear that she was cross.

"Please stop staring at me like that," the Doctor muttered, eyes glued to the computer screen. "It was for your own good."

Michael and Lily were currently occupied with a toy Clara had bought them a week ago. They weren't hungry just yet, so it gave Idris the opportunity to make her owner feel guilty. Mr Darcy, on the other hand, was fast asleep.

With a defeated sigh, John closed the laptop and stared back at his pet. "You can't get pregnant again, and quite frankly, I don't think I have the means to support more pets – you and the kittens just can't stop eating."

Idris remained in her spot.

The Doctor glanced at his watch. Clara would be home any minute now, along with Nan.

Ten minutes later, he heard the sound of his car pulling up into the driveway. The bet isn't over yet and he has already lent the car to Clara. Not that he minded, but the vehicle has a mind of her own and he hoped it hadn't caused too much trouble.

"Any chance he could drive me around next time?" a frail voice asked in amusement.

Clara chuckled. "I'm sure he'd be happy to," she replied before spotting John.

"How have you been, John?" Nan asked, kissing his cheek and hugging him. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow."

He hugged her back awkwardly. "Fine, great, actually."

The elderly woman then set her eyes on the cats in the living room. "They are adorable!" she commented, releasing the Doctor and cooing over the kittens.

He took the opportunity to have a private conversation with Clara. "How was the journey?" he asked. "The car didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

She shook her head. "No, the car ran smoothly."

"That's good."

Clara glanced up and smiled. "Nan's going to have a blast tomorrow."

He hummed in reply, wondering what her grandmother would do or say. What if she meets Jack? The thought was both entertaining and terrifying. "Does she… know that the uni doesn't know we're…"

Clara's eyes widened in response. "I think I have to mention this to her."

She handed him a brown paper bag. "Nan got you chocolates."

"I know you're a sweet tooth, dear," her grandmother added settling down on the sofa with a kitten.

The Doctor flashed her an awkward smile. "Thank you," he said, disappearing into the kitchen with the bag, eager to devour some sweet snacks.

"Nan," Clara began, sitting next to her grandmother. "I know you're very excited about tomorrow, but there's something you need to know before you meet my colleagues."

"You're pregnant!" the elderly woman guessed happily.

The mathematician furrowed her brows. "No, nothing like that, but it does concern my relationship with John."

"You're planning to have children?"

She wasn't able to help herself from groaning and feeling embarrassed. "Nan, nobody at uni knows that John and I are together, and we'd like to keep it that way for some time."

"Why would you want to keep your relationship with a handsome gentleman like that from your friends at work?" Nan asked. "Is there a policy which states you can't date your colleague because if there is, it's rubbish."

Her granddaughter couldn't help but laugh. "No, we don't have that, but John and I want to keep a low profile for the time being."

The elderly woman was silent for a few seconds. "So I can't walk up to one of your friends at work and then talk about the two of you?"

At that moment, the Doctor returned to the living room, eating a bar of chocolate, looking puzzled when the two women stared at him.

Clara then said: "No, Nan… just pretend as if we still hate each other."

"Oh, alright," Nan sighed in defeat before an idea came to mind. Her granddaughter didn't say anything about mentioning them individually. She smiled at John. "At least I'll get another free lecture from you."

\-- 

The Doctor was roused from his slumber the next morning by a loud alarm coming from his right side. He rolled over, silencing the phone before returning to the woman lying next to him.

"What time is it?" she asked hoarsely, eyes still shut.

"Seven," he answered, kissing the back of her neck.

"Science festival day," she murmured, lips forming into a smile.

Clara seems to be looking forward to it more than him. Well, she had every right to be since her grandmother would be visiting. "You sound a bit too happy about this," he commented, testing the waters.

She sighed in contentment before rolling over to face him. Leaning forward she planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "Good morning."

"Ohayou, Oswald-sensei."

"Show off," she laughed. "And for your information, the reason I'm so chirpy today is that I get to see you interact with nan again, at work."

She heard a groan coming from him. "I think she's too sassy… and flirty."

Once more, Clara giggled. "It means she likes you very much."

He decided to change the subject. They had agreed to travel to uni via his car and that meant they couldn't be spotted together. The plan was to drop off Clara and Nan outside the university premises to avoid eyebrows being raised and then he would go on with his routine. Simple. "So I drop you and Nan off at Tesco?"

She nodded, not feeling like leaving the bed just yet. "That's the plan – it's only a five-minute walk."

John hummed in response and shifted a bit to climb out of bed, but he was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around his neck. "Yes, Dr Bosswald?"

"We still have a few minutes to cuddle," she whispered.

By the time they had showered and dressed, Nan was already waiting downstairs, coat ready at hand, as she entertained Mr Darcy.

The journey to work was filled with anecdotes of Clara's university days, from the day she moved into halls to the day she graduated.

"Why, I remember just sitting in anticipation as they called her to the stage and she nearly tripped halfway up the steps!"

The Doctor grinned, eyes focusing on the road. "Do you happen to have a recording of this?" he asked, glancing at the woman sitting next to him. She didn't look quite as amused.

"You will see no such thing," Clara stated, punching his arm. "I really don't want to relive that moment."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Admit it, Clara, you find it funny now," Nan added.

She tried her best not to smile or show any signs that she agreed with her grandmother as the car pulled by the side of the road.

"Have we arrived?"

"Yeah, sort of – we just have to walk five minutes from here to reach uni," Clara explained. "Can't have people seeing us together."

"I bet they're already suspecting something," Nan commented, exiting the vehicle.

John pouted. She wasn't wrong in the slightest.

Clara leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his left cheek. "I'll see you later and thank you for driving us here."

"Give him another kiss from me!" her grandmother exclaimed.

"My pleasure," he murmured, chuckling as he saw Clara's cheeks reddening. The Doctor watched as the two disappeared up the road before making his way to the university carpark. Today is going to be very interesting. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Nan were to meet Jack.

\-- 

"You know the plan, right, Nan?" Clara asked as they approached her office.

"Yes, yes," the elderly woman sighed. "No mentioning of you-know-what."

Happy that her grandmother has agreed to keep their little secret, she unlocked the door to her office, stepping aside to let Nan in first.

"Well, it's very cosy in here," Nan commented.

"Bit too small if you ask me but beggars can't be choosers," Clara replied. "I just need to check my emails and we can be on our way."

As her grandmother sat down on the empty chair next to the desk, she spotted John walking past. They were really serious when they said they wanted to keep their relationship a low profile.

A moment later, she spotted another gentleman passing by. They made eye contact.

"Well stick me in my Sunday's best and call me date-ready!" Jack exclaimed, flashing a bright smile. "Who might this stunning lady be?"

Clara swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh. Dear God. Two great forces meet. "This is my nan."

"Bonjour madame," he greeted, taking Nan's hand and kissing it. "I can see where Clara gets her looks from."

"And who might this fine handsome man be?" Nan inquired.

"Dr Jack Harkness, ma'am," he answered, winking. "Though you can call me Jack."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack, and please, call me Nan."

Jack beamed. He had a feeling that he and Nan were going to get along very well. "I hope you're as excited as everybody else about the science festival – Clara and another esteemed colleague of mine, the Doctor, will be working together," he explained before leaning closer and whispered, "Just between you and me and the rest of the department excluding Clara and the Doctor, we're convinced they're into each other despite all the insults and arguments."

Nan feigned shock. "Is that so?" she asked, hand on her chest. "I didn't know my Clara fancies one of her colleagues."

"Jack," Clara said through gritted teeth. "Out."

He shot her look. "Well, it's true," he muttered and then glanced at Nan. "It was very nice to meet you Nan, but duty calls."

"I look forward to seeing you at the festival!"

The door shut and Clara pursed her lips. "See, this is why we can't let everyone know."

Nan still wasn't convinced. "I'm sure he means well."

"He wants us to have kids so he can become godfather and they'll call him 'Don Harkness'."

Her grandmother wasn't convinced the slightest. "I'm sure he's just joking," she brushed off, remembering that she wanted great-grandchildren.

Clara shook her head and chuckled. "Come on, I have to be at the booth soon – John's probably there already."

It took less than ten minutes for Clara and Nan to find the booth there were looking for. The Doctor was seated behind a table, a stack of long paper on one side, cellophane tape and several child-friendly scissors on the other. There were three rows of chairs in front of him. He looked up and saw them approaching.

"Smith," Clara greeted.

"Oswald," John said.

Nan fought the urge to roll her eyes. While it looked like they clearly hate each other, she saw much more than that. Their eyes spoke a different language.

"I'll start my demonstration first," the Doctor stated.

"More time for me to watch you get your soul taken hostage by 10-year-olds."

He couldn't help but smirk. "Are you sure it's not the other way around?"

"Is this the part where you snog each other?" Nan suddenly asked.

"How I wish," Jack said as he appeared out of nowhere.

The Doctor frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be working?" he asked in annoyance.

"I took a later shift so that means I have time to wander around," Jack answered before an idea came to him. "Say, why don't I show Nan around?"

John wanted to immediately object the idea, but he kept his mouth shut. He had to pretend he didn't know Nan. They were going to be in so much trouble.

Clara was beginning to think that bringing her grandmother to work was a bad idea.

"That's a lovely idea!" Nan exclaimed, taking the arm he offered, walking away from the couple. "So, tell me a bit about them."

Jack grinned. He loves this woman.

"Do you think she's…"

Clara shook her head. "No, Nan's probably just messing with us."

Visitors had begun flooding the university and no more than 15 minutes later, children gathered at the booth, taking their seats while their parents stood in the back.

The Doctor introduced himself and began his demonstration as the children listened in curiosity.

"I want you to think of a number, a very, very, very large number," he grinned. "Would you believe me if I told you that the number you're thinking of is closer to zero than it is to infinity?'

Some of the kids frowned while some looked confused.

"Infinity just goes on forever and ever," John explained, handing out papers and scissors.

Clara watched intently as he interacted with his audience. It was then she caught sight of Nan and Jack to her right.

"What are we going to do with these?" a nine-year-old asked, holding up the scissors and paper.

"We're going to make a Mobius strip – the symbol for infinity!" the Doctor replied before folding the paper. "Just fold it like this – twist one end and hold it there while I come and tape each and every one of it."

Clara bit her bottom lip, fighting the urge to smile. She didn't expect him to be so good with children. They were all behaving and listening to his instructions.

"You might want to keep your ovulation a little less obvious there," Jack whispered, surprising her with his sudden appearance.

"I'm not ovulating," she hushed.

"Let's be honest here, Clara, you'd have to be blind not to notice how hot the Doctor looks when he's showing off his dad skills, especially with that galaxy shirt."

He was right, but she would never admit it to him. "Jack, don't you have to be somewhere?"

"Fine, I'll leave you alone but only because you're ovulating, and I can prove it using the heat vision goggles from Mike's booth."

"Go," she half-growled.

John, on the other hand, was oblivious of what was happening behind him. "Now I want you to take your pair of scissors and cut the strip in the middle," he continued, and the loop then separated into two loops. There was a murmur of amazement from his audience as they began mimicking his actions.

A girl, no older than eight, walked up to him, lips pursed. "I can't do it," she said, showing him her work.

The Doctor flashed her a kind smile. "It's alright," he said gently. "Let's try again."

He quickly glanced to his right, feeling a pair of eyes staring at him. Clara may have a neutral expression on her face, but her eyes said otherwise.

This didn't go unnoticed as a pair of parents started chatting.

"That man is definitely going to get shagged after this," the wife whispered to her husband who was on his phone.

"What?" he asked, looking up, confused.

"The woman at the desk there, she looks as if she's ready to have his children."

Her husband blinked several times, trying to discern what his wife was saying, but he gave up and reverted his attention back to his smartphone.

Nan silently smiled to herself. It puzzled her why they were trying to hide their relationship when everyone could see what was going on.

While most of the kids were done with their activity, a boy was stuck on his and Clara locked eyes with him. "Do you need any help?" she asked gently.

He nodded shyly and handed her the loop.

"So I'm just going to flatten this bit here so it would be easier to cut through," Clara explained and the boy nodded.

"That is so cool," the child murmured as the loop separated. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Clara said, beaming as the boy ran to his mother to show her his work. She managed to catch a glimpse of John staring at her before focusing his attention on the children.

Suddenly, the phone in her pocket began ringing and she pulled it out, pursing her lips as she scanned the number. No, she was determined to have fun today and nothing was going to ruin it and so she rejected the call.

"So who wants to see another trick with the Mobius strip?"

His audience began cheering.

Clara put the phone away as she continued to observe the man she loves. Nothing is going to spoil her day.


	20. Chapter 20

The Science Festival was a success so far and even John and Clara's booth were a popular stop among the visitors, especially children. The couple had spent several hours showing various mathematical tricks and they had immensely enjoyed it.

So, while Jack was giving Nan a tour of campus during lunch break, Clara took the opportunity to see the Doctor in his office. She checked the hallways first, making sure that no one was passing by before quickly running over to John's office, knocked once and then entered, surprising the occupant inside.

He arched a brow, setting down the pen he held. "Yes?"

"Just wanted to see you," she murmured.

The Doctor leaned back against the chair. "Are you sure that's a good idea – I mean someone-"

Clara locked the door in response.

"Clara?"

She straddled his lap and gave him a good snog and he automatically wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. It felt nice, good, not that he was complaining but then common sense took over. He didn't ever want to stop, but her behaviour confused him, so he gently pushed her away.

"Are you alright?"

She chuckled, leaning back a bit to allow him to breathe easier and calm his nerves. "Of course, I am."

He was now certain that there was something wrong with her. Sure, her grandmother and Jack were not anywhere near them at the moment, but it didn't explain why she would suddenly barge into his office and kiss him senseless. "So why did you… um… we… this?"

"I'll be honest," she whispered, pushing him back against the chair. "Your dad skills make you twelve times more attractive."

He licked his lips, finding her answer amusing. The door was locked so he didn't see any reason why he would want her off his lap. "Twelve times?"

"Shut up," Clara grumbled and connected her mouth with his again.

John closed his eyes, savouring the taste of her lips before remembering they were in his office.

"We won't shag in your office if that's what you're worried about," she stated after pulling away. "We can do that when we get home."

"It seems like it," he answered shyly.

Clara smirked. "Well, I'm not receiving any objections from down there," she commented, pointing at his bulge with her eyes.

"In case you have forgotten, I'm only human, Clara."

She could easily see through his feeble excuse. "Admit it, the thought of shagging in your office is turning you on."

"Never."

That was the end of it before the Doctor kissed her, earning a moan. He had never done this sort of thing before in his life and it felt new and exciting. The door was locked, so they wouldn't get caught like last time. Hopefully.

As Clara fumbled with his belt, a ringing noise made the couple pause. Her phone which she had discarded on the desk was buzzing.

John cleared his throat. "Do you want to get that?"

"It can wait."

"Might be your nan."

She reluctantly checked the smartphone. To her annoyance, it was the same number that tried calling her earlier in the day. "I think I'm going to block this number," she sighed, putting it on silent mode.

"Ah yes, those insurance scams interrupting you in the most inconvenient of times."

She shushed him by resuming their snogging session, unbuttoning his shirt in the process. They could spare five minutes. Nobody would know.

\-- 

Clara Oswald adjusted her hair and blouse one final time before turning around to face the Doctor who was buttoning his shirt. The very one she had gotten him for Christmas. "Do I look presentable?"

"Yes," John answered, still feeling as if he was on cloud nine. He couldn't believe that he had gotten a good shag in his office of all places.

She approached him and helped him button the collar, hiding away the love bite she had given him. "The kids don't need to see that."

"And whose fault is it?" he joked.

She placed her hands on his chest. "All I heard was you moaning."

"I'm very sure you were louder," he murmured, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Clara bit her bottom lip. "I can prove you wrong when we get home," she whispered. "But first thing's first – work."

The Doctor watched as she stuck her head out the door, checking to see if the hallway was clear. She glanced at him and flashed him a flirtatious smile before leaving the office.

Just as she entered hers, the phone in her pocket began buzzing again. Having lost her patience, she decided to answer the call once and fall all and tell Danny to never bother her again.

"Clara… I know you're very angry and you have every right to be, but just give me thirty seconds to apologise – I'm sorry."

"Danny, please stop trying to call me," she said as politely as possible.

"I have so much to say to you and please, I'm at your university right now."

"What?!" she exclaimed in surprise before lowering her voice. "What do you mean you're here?"

"I think I'm heading in the right direction to your office."

"You can't-"

"Please, Clara, I am so sorry for treating you the way I did – I got angry and I was jealous," he explained. "I'm almost here," he stated before hanging up.

Clara stared at the blank wall. Why did everything have to turn upside down the moment she's experiencing happiness. Danny had broken up with her and now he's practically trying to get her back. She would have none of it, especially since he came unannounced.

A knock was heard, and she stormed outside.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. If he had wanted to discuss things, he could have sent her a text message first instead of simply phoning her. They could have met at a café or restaurant – not her bloody workplace.

Danny managed an apologetic smile, holding up a small bouquet of flowers.

It didn't calm her down one bit as she quickly glanced at the Doctor's office.

"Can we talk in your office?" he asked.

"No," she replied defensively before realising that people could probably hear them in the hallway. "I mean yes… no."

She didn't want to be alone with him in her cramped workspace.

"You ended things with me and now you're showing up with flowers and an apology at work?" she demanded, trying to control her voice and anger.

Danny lowered the flowers. "To be fair, I only said we needed to take a break – we took a break."

"It doesn't matter – we ended things that day and please stop bothering me," she sighed. "Your thirty seconds are up."

He caught her arm in a plea to get her attention. "All I asked was for some time to think."

"Let go of me."

"You should do what she says," a Scottish voice growled, eyes blazing with anger and a hint of jealousy. He had been sitting in his office quietly when he heard what sounded like an escalating argument.

Danny glanced at him before releasing her.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a gentle tone.

Clara nodded. "Fine," she said meekly. "Thanks."

Danny waited for the Doctor to leave but he never did. He had his feet planted firmly on the ground and arms crossed. "Isn't this the bloke you hate?" he asked Clara. The former soldier had heard enough stories to recognise him. Besides, the plaid trousers were a dead giveaway.

"Look, Danny, just leave."

He was about to open his mouth, make a point when the Doctor interrupted him. "I think you should do what she says," he stated in a low voice.

"This has nothing to do with you," Danny grunted. "I just want to have a talk with my girlfriend."

"I am not your girlfriend," Clara hissed, face red. Oh, God. She could tell John had so many questions running around his head.

"She's saying otherwise," the Doctor retorted. "It's best if you leave her alone."

Danny pursed his lips. "Stay out of this."

"You should do what he says," Clara suggested calmly.

The school teacher couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Was she really siding with the man she dislikes so much? "Why are you on his side?" he whined. "What did I miss these past few months?"

"What's he talking about?" John inquired. He had heard everything from the beginning and he just felt more and more confused.

Clara wanted to do nothing more than to allow the ground beneath her to swallow her. Why did her perfect day have to be ruined? "It's none of your business, Danny and I thought I made it clear that I don't want to talk to you."

Danny stared back and forth between Clara and the Doctor, putting the pieces together. "You slept with him didn't you?" he demanded.

"What if she did?" John growled, taking a few steps forward. "She told you to leave and you have yet to do that."

Danny faced him. "You slept with my girlfriend."

"I am not your girlfriend, Danny," Clara repeated. "Not since you left."

Danny Pink could accept the fact that Clara had broken up with him, but he couldn't quite comprehend how the man she loathes managed to sleep with her. It boiled his blood. "We were on a break!"

"And that my dear lady is a tour of this fine university," Jack concluded to Nan as they walked down the hallway. The smile disappeared from his face when he saw the three individuals. "What's going on?"

Nan had seen a photo of her granddaughter's former partner before. She had received it from Clara during New Year the previous year, so she was just as shocked to see him in the flesh, glaring at her future grandson-in-law.

"This man is just leaving," John said, shooting daggers at Danny.

The next thing he knew, Danny tried to throw a punch at him before he swiftly moved to one side, watching as the former soldier fell to the ground.

"John!" Clara cried, rushing over to his side.

Jack decided to step in by standing between the two men. He faced Danny. "Leave," he ordered in a serious manner. "You're causing a ruckus here with my friends."

Danny stood up, one hand still gripping the bouquet of flowers. He stared at Clara for a brief second, eyes filled with anger and sadness before turning around and quietly leaving.

"What was that all about?" Jack wondered.

"I could ask the same question," the Doctor agreed, glancing at Clara.

She pressed her lips together. "I can explain."

Jack then squinted his eyes, wondering why his two colleagues were staring at each other oddly. "Are… are you two together?"

There was silence for a few seconds before Clara gave a nod to John.

"They are," Nan confirmed, getting tired of waiting. She felt like rolling her eyes to the back of her head.

Jack stared at the Doctor and then Clara before a huge grin broke out. "You're finally together!" he screamed happily. "Yes – miracles happen, baby!"

"You showed me faith is not blind, I don't need wings to help me fly miracles happen once in a while when you believe," he sang.

The couple merely looked at him in disbelief as Nan settled down on one of the chairs in the hallway.

"This is wonderful!" he continued. "How long?"

"Two months," Clara replied.

The smile on Jack's face immediately disappeared. "Two months?" he repeated. "You've been together for that long and you didn't bother to tell me?!"

"Hang on, I thought you'd be happy about this?" John asked, confused.

"I am, but how could you hide such a thing from me?" Jack demanded sadly before glancing at Nan. "We shared so many plans together about your future great-grandchildren," he murmured before storming off. "And all those things about these two giving heart eyes to each other."

Nan stood up. If Jack was her grandson, she would have given him a good whack to the head. Such a silly man. "He'll be fine and while he calms down, but I think the two of you need to talk," she suggested, leaving to find wherever Jack had run off to.

Clara avoided eye contact with the Doctor.

"Is it true what he said?" he asked quietly once her grandmother was out of earshot. "You're just taking a break?"

She had never seen him so upset and hurt before. It would seem that she really messed up this time.

Clara opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She had been under the impression Danny had broken up with her. She had been angry and upset and didn't quite process his words carefully.

"I think I'm going to go back to the booth," John announced and left in a hurry, not wanting to face her for the time being.


	21. Chapter 21

Clara eventually returned to the booth once lunch break was over and the Doctor continued to ignore her. This time, he wasn't pretending. He didn't even sound as enthusiastic as he did in the morning. She knew she had hurt him and Danny by not ending her previous relationship properly. It came back to bite her.

They continued working for the next two hours until the festival ended. They did not exchange a single word and it was beginning to bother her.

The only time John had spoken to her was when he informed her that he was going home, asking if she and Nan wanted a lift.

"No, it's fine – I'll just go look for Nan," Clara said. "She's probably in the break room with Jack."

The Doctor paused for a moment before turning around and leaving.

She could only watch him walk away, lost at words herself and hoped that he wouldn't end things. She has fallen head over heels for him and the last thing she needed was a heartbreak from the best man she ever met.

Defeated, Clara returned to the department in search of her grandmother who, as she guessed correctly, in the break room with Jack who was still moping. She was on the phone with someone.

"Dave, I'm going to stay here for a few more days since I just love it so much here," Nan explained to her son. "Clara and John are so lovely."

"Yes, I'll let you know when I'll be returning home," she continued before hanging up.

The real reason she wanted to stick longer is to make sure that her granddaughter and future grandson-in-law are fine. Things had gone downhill since the ex showed up and she wasn't thrilled with the end result.

Nan glanced at the entrance and saw Clara. "I just phoned your father to tell him I'll be here for a few days longer."

She nodded, sitting next to the elderly lady.

"I'm still sulking," Jack muttered, arms crossed.

Nan brushed it off. "He's a bit salty but he'll be fine."

"Hey!"

"It's true," she said in a serious tone, silencing him. "Where's John?" she asked, changing the subject.

"He… um… left," Clara answered. "Went home."

Her grandmother sighed. "Well, you certainly have a lot of explaining to do young lady."

"Yeah, what the hell?" Jack added. He certainly felt happy that his two friends are together, but he wanted to make Clara feel a bit more guilty.

"Hush, Jack," Nan ordered, rising to her feet.

"Yes, ma'am."

She placed a comforting hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Come on, we'll go back to yours and we'll sort this out."

\-- 

The Doctor walked briskly to the car park, keys in one hand. He was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't even see his sister walking past him.

"Oi!" Missy yelled, trying to get his attention. She couldn't help but notice how her brother looked like a puppy that had just been kicked.

John ignored her and continued walking as his mind was elsewhere. He finally snapped back to reality when somebody placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What's with you?" his sister asked. "Just a few hours ago, you and Clara were undressing each other with your eyes."

He frowned in response, not remembering seeing his sister in the crowd. "I didn't see you there."

"That's because you were busy imagining snogging your girlfriend."

The Doctor pursed his lips. "I'm really not in the mood for your horrible jokes," he grumbled before walking towards his car.

"Hey, wait a minute," she said, catching up with him. Something must have happened during lunchtime. "Why are you suddenly Doctor Grumpy?"

"I'm not," he retorted, getting into the vehicle.

Missy held the door back. "Spill before I figure it out."

She then went to the passenger side and heard his story. After ten minutes of listening, she came to one conclusion. "You're an idiot - a sensitive idiot."

"Are you bloody serious?" he demanded.

"So is your little girlfriend," she added.

"How am I an idiot?"

"For being too sensitive."

"Get out of my car."

His sister merely laughed in response before patting him on the shoulder. "I would suggest for you to calm down and listen to what Clara has to say… I can't believe I sound so reasonable right now."

As much as John hated to admit it, she had a point. Nevertheless, he felt confused. Was Clara using him this whole time or did she really move on?

Once he returned home, the first thing that he did was gather Idris and her kittens. The last thing he wanted to do while thinking about his relationship with Clara is to let his pets roam free in her home and possibly ruin her furniture.

He received some protest from Mr Darcy who continued to meow at him until he crossed over to his house. "I'm not taking them away from you forever," he reasoned.

The orange tabby snarled at him in response before dashing away.

"And Missy said I was dramatic."

\-- 

The two women eventually left the campus and took a cab. The journey was filled with utter silence as Clara was close to breaking down and it certainly didn't make her feel any better when she saw Idris and the kittens missing from her home. He had every right to be angry with and ignore her.

Nan gently closed the front door, eyeing Clara carefully as she watched her collapse on the sofa, eyes puffy.

"I only have a partial idea of what happened," she began. Just when she thought nothing could ruin such a fun day. "That man… that was Danny, right?"

Clara hid her face with both hands. "Yeah," she groaned. "He just showed up out of the blue."

Her grandmother patted her back, attempting to comfort her. "Was he trying to get you back?"

She sighed, resting her head on Nan's shoulder. "Yeah, he thought we were still on 'a break' as he called it."

"Would you mind telling me how it ended?"

"He came over one day without mentioning it to me and I had things to do – marking, writing, more marking and plotting my revenge against John at that time," she chuckled at the final point.

"I always knew we weren't going to last long, but I didn't expect the argument to escalate so quickly," Clara continued.

"If you knew, then why did you stay with him?"

She blew air between her lips. "I guess, I just didn't want to be lonely," she admitted. "Danny is everything a woman could ask for a boyfriend… but I guess it never worked out between us."

"I assumed after months of not making any contact, he would get the message… this is all my fault," she groaned, squinting her eyes shut.

Nan could only rub her granddaughter's arm. "You should call Danny and end things with him properly."

"I know."

"The sooner we get this over with the better," the elderly woman commented, rising to her feet. "Because then you'd have to go and see John and apologise."

"One step at a time, Nan!" Clara groaned. "That's a lot to take in."

"Well," her grandmother said, smiling. "Start phoning Danny and apologise."

Just as she thought Nan had disappeared into her room, Clara heard her yell from upstairs. "Because I'm not about to risk not getting great-grandchildren!"

Brilliant. Her personal life is currently a mess, and her nan wants her to have kids. Reluctantly, Clara fished for her phone in the bag next to her.

She stared at the electronic device for a moment before feeling brave and dialling Danny's number. She could do this, she thought, waiting for the call to be answered.

"Danny?" she began when somebody on the other end finally answered.

"I didn't expect you to call so soon," he muttered coldly.

"I owe you an explanation and an apology," she sighed tiredly, leaning back against the sofa.

The lasted for about ten minutes before Clara hung up. She apologised, told him that she had moved on and wished him the best. That was all she could say. It went a lot better than she had imagined and she felt relieved.

Now the only tricky part is talking to the Doctor.

The very next day, Clara Oswald had an early start, planning to get to work before John did so as to avoid bumping into him at the university gate. It would no doubt be awkward.

She showered, fed Mr Darcy, ate a quick breakfast and told her nan that she would be back later in the evening. It sounded so perfect in her mind and it did, up until she got to her bike.

It refused to start.

"No, no, no," she said, trying to start the engine once more. Maybe she didn't do it properly due to lack of sleep. "Please don't do this to me."

Clara wasn't sure how long she had been outside because the next thing she heard was John's voice.

"Do you need a lift?" he asked, tone lacking any sort of emotion. He didn't sound cross or happy. Just neutral. However, he did look just as bad as she did. Must have had a sleepless night too.

It took her brain several seconds to process his words. "Um… is that ok with you?"

"Well, I'm the one driving," he replied, avoiding her gaze.

She pondered her options before deciding to take his offer. Maybe she could talk to him the car. Clara quickly walked to the vehicle before getting into the passenger seat.

She regretted her decision almost immediately because she had never experienced such awkward silence before.

John cleared his throat, inserting the key into the ignition before starting the car. A second later, it was in motion.

Unaware to the couple, Nan had been watching the exchange silently from her bedroom window, a smile on her face. She produced her phone and dialled someone.

After a while, the call was finally answered.

"It worked!" she exclaimed. "I took out that thing from Clara's bike and John gave her a lift!"

"Sweet!" Jack exclaimed on the other end.

"Would you mind picking me up?" the elderly woman asked.

"You read my mind, wise nan."

\-- 

The Doctor had his eyes trained on the road as both hands gripped the steering wheel. He had not uttered a single word to the woman sitting next to him since she got into the vehicle. They had exchanged a few glances and that was it.

Clara had been practising her lines for the past five minutes now. All she had to do was say sorry. It wasn't that difficult. She opened her mouth. "How are the cats?"

If she could, she would have bashed her head against the dashboard.

"Fine," he answered, eyes never looking away from the road.

She nodded and decided to keep her mouth shut throughout the journey.

As soon as the vehicle came to a halt in the carpark, Clara quickly exited the vehicle, making her way to the department building.

The Doctor decided to remain in his car, watching her from his rear-view mirror. He sighed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he cursed silently. He was still a bit mad at her, but that was one painful journey that nobody should go through.

Without much thought, he grabbed his bag in the backseat and exited the vehicle.

Making his way to the office, he produced the keys from his pocket an unlocked the door, ignoring the weird looks he was receiving from his colleagues. Word spreads like wildfire at the department so it was hardly a surprise to him.

The Doctor silently discarded the backpack and took off his coat. An hour to go before his first lecture. "Might as well look at my notes," he said to himself.

Half an hour later, John heard somebody knock.

"I need your help with something," Jack said on the other side.

"I'm sure you can find somebody else."

"He's right, though," Ian added, causing the Doctor to pause.

He inhaled before tossing aside the folder sitting on his lap. "If you got your hand stuck in the kettle again, I'm buying a new one," he muttered, rising to his feet.

The door swung open and Jack's hand was kettle-free. He frowned.

"This is for your own good, buddy," Jack said before he and Ian grabbed the Doctor and dragged him out.

"Hey!" John growled, struggling.

Ian pushed Clara's door open with his foot before tossing the Scotsman inside, surprising her. "What-"

"Remember to kiss and make-up!" Jack exclaimed, shutting the door. "And this door is locked," he reminded from the other side.

"So don't even think about escaping until you've settled your differences."

"Nan?!" Clara said in surprise.

John brushed both arms, fixing his shirt before finally looking up.

The couple locked eyes before Clara tore her gaze away from him, settling back down on the chair. "I guess there's not much to do than to sit."

"I suppose so," the Doctor replied, pulling the empty chair.

She fiddled with her fingers, staring at the wall behind him. She guessed that they had been sitting in silence for the past five minutes and decided to do something about it.

"I know I hurt you and wasn't completely honest with you… and I'm sorry," she began, noticing that he was staring at her.

"I… I promise you that I wasn't using you to make Danny jealous or anything like that," she continued. "I… I just wanted to move on as quickly as possible after the break-up."

John remained silent, listening intently.

"My relationship with Danny had been strained since… before us… it felt as if we weren't even together at that point."

"And then he just shows up one day and we got into an argument," Clara explained. "He said he wanted to take a break, but I assumed it wouldn't lead anywhere – it never does and thought that was the end of it."

The Doctor shifted in his seat

__  
I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to  
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you  
Now, I need somebody to know  


"If there is one thing that I can be honest with you about, it's that my feelings for you, everything I said is genuine."

John's gaze finally softened a bit.

__  
Somebody to heal  
Somebody to have  
Just to know how it feels  


"I meant every word including about you looking twelve times more attractive with your dad skills on display."

At the mention of this, the Doctor chuckled before he realised something.

__  
It's easy to say but it's never the same  
I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape  


"Could you please stop playing that music," Clara growled, and it was immediately silenced. She scooted closer to the Doctor in order to avoid the eavesdroppers from listening in.

"For the record, it was setting the mood," Jack argued meekly.

"Stop spying on us," the Doctor said before focusing his attention on Clara. "So you're not planning to date that soldier?"

"God no," Clara replied quietly. "Wait, how did you know he's a soldier, well, a former soldier."

"He looks like one."

"Look, I am not interested in anybody else if that's what you're worried about – I am very serious about us."

John looked into her eyes.

"I wouldn't have done all the things we did if I'm not committed into this," Clara added. "Please, I am sorry, John and I understand if you don't want to forgive me right now… take all the time you need."

She waited for a second before he finally cracked a smile. He grasped her hand gently. "Frankly, I was called a sensitive idiot by my sister."

Clara furrowed her brows.

"Do you think I care for you so little that something like this would make a difference?" he whispered.

She beamed in return before leaning forward and giving him a chaste kiss. "Thank you."

It felt nice, so very nice to have addressed the issue. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. They stared at each other for a few moments longer.

"I don't know what they're saying," the couple heard someone whisper.

"They're probably snogging each other to death by now," Missy was heard saying. "It's bloody silent."

The Doctor looked back at Clara. He was certain that the department is now aware that they're together, so there was no point hiding anymore. "Why don't we put them out of their misery?"

"More like ours, really," Clara said as they rose to their feet, hands still intertwined. "I'm getting tired of sneaking around just to give you a kiss."

John opened the door and was greeted by half the department including Nan and Missy.

"Yes, we're together, no, we're not expecting children, yes, we've been together for two months now and no, no further questions," he stated as the rest stared at the couple.

"Oh, thank the universe!" Bill exclaimed. "You don't have to sneak around anymore and possibly traumatise people."

"We still feel bad about that, Bill," Clara said, grimacing.

Jack grabbed the student by her shoulders. "You have to tell me everything."

"Ok, just let go of me."

"If that's all, could everyone please stop bothering us."

The small crowd murmured before they began dispersing.

"But not before a song!" Jack shrieked. "Hit it, Dan!"

Dan pressed play on his PC.

"You showed me faith is not blind, I don't need wings to help me fly," Jack sang. "Miracles happen once in a while when you believe."

"You showed me dreams come to life," Oishin and Dan joined in. "That taking a chance on us was right all things will come with a little time when you believe."

The Doctor and Clara exchanged looks, unable to help themselves from chuckling. It was interesting to observe how the department is so invested in their relationship, especially Jack.

"Now that all is good, I think it's only proper we celebrate," Nan suggested to the couple after the crowd finally dispersed. "I'll bake my famous chocolate chip cookies tonight."

John wrapped an arm around Clara as she leaned into him. "That sounds lovely."

"Trust me, they're to die for."

"I hate to interrupt the celebration, but you two have lectures in less than two minutes," Missy pointed out, who was currently lounging on one of the chairs in the hallway.

The couple immediately retreated to their respective offices.

Nan and the vice chancellor watched as the two lecturers rushed to the lecture theatre.

"I have to admit that you're a brilliant strategist," Nan commented.

"It's why I'm vice-chancellor."

"No doubt that my great-grandchildren are going to inherit this trait."

Missy merely grinned. "Just imagine the chaos their children will cause."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your wonderful support and comments! We've reached the end of the story and I hope you've enjoyed reading as much I did working on this story :)

**One Year Later**

If John Smith is certain of one thing, it is that he loves Clara Oswald. Just the thought of her made him smile like a boy who just had his first crush. Now, one of the things that he loves the most, as he discovered, is to wake up every single day and the first thing that he sees is the woman sleeping his arms. The feeling wasn't like any other.

A lot has happened since the previous year. From being sworn enemies to lovers to officially announcing they were a couple.

Not to mention that the bet they made ended up in a tie so they both agreed to the terms made prior to the bet. Clara was able to drive his car to work for three days and he managed to get a kiss from her in front of their colleagues.

As he slowly caressed her bare arm, he beamed. He loves Clara Oswald with all his being.

"Why are you so happy?" she asked, eyes still closed.

The Doctor placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Is it a crime?"

She opened her eyes and then raised her head to kiss him. "Are you up to something?"

John merely grinned, one hand underneath the pillow. "What if I am?"

Clara examined his face carefully, tracing his jawline with a finger. "Depends if it's good or bad."

He grasped her wrist before bringing the back of her hand to his lips. "Good, I hope."

Feeling a surge of braveness coming from his chest, the Doctor produced a small red velvet box from underneath his pillow.

Clara's eyes widened in surprise.

He opened the box and in it was a shiny diamonded ring. "Will you make me the happiest man in the universe and marry me?"

She wasn't able to help herself from feeling slightly emotional as her eyes began to feel watery.

"Please tell me you're not upset," the Doctor added hastily, placing the box on his pillow. "I still get confused when people start crying."

She laughed. "No, no, these are tears of joy, you idiot."

"I really need to write this down some-"

Clara leaned forward and crashed her lips with his to silence him. "Yes, yes, John Smith, I will marry you," she said once they pulled away.

It was so unexpected of him to propose to her in bed, not that she minded, if anything, she was thrilled.

The Doctor slid the ring into her finger. "It looks beautiful on you."

"So, is this the reason why you and Nan disappeared for two hours last week?" she inquired, wiping her eyes and examining the jewellery. "She wasn't out looking for pastries, was she?"

He chuckled. "She helped me pick your ring."

"How long do you think it will take before Jack and the rest notice this?"

"I'm willing to bet in a day or two – he's been pestering me to take you somewhere nice."

Clara wrapped her arms around John as they settled back in bed. "I am perfectly happy where I am right now, but we can always have a celebratory dinner."

"Sounds fantastic, future Mrs Smith."

"I like the sound of that," she murmured, bringing their mouths together once more.

\-- 

"But why can't I say anything?" a three-year-old boy with curly brown locks whined, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He watched as his mother sat in front of three vanity mirrors, why she would have three of those is beyond him, putting on some light make-up. "You're pretty, mummy – you don't need make-up."

Clara Smith glanced at her son and beamed. "Thank you, Malcolm, but I just want to look extra special for your father."

"He's right," the Doctor added, walking out of the en-suite in a black suit. "As for your earlier question, do you remember what happened the last time we met Uncle Jack's previous boyfriend?"

Malcolm Smith stared at his father. "I told him that he has an ugly tattoo."

The boy, as many had pointed out, is a carbon copy of his father in terms of looks, aside from the eyes and nose. He inherited those from his mother.

"Exactly," Clara murmured, applying lipstick.

The young boy pursed his lips. "But Aunt Missy said I should always be honest – honesty is the best policy."

John blew air between his lips, settling down next to his son. "Your aunt's right, but there's always a time and place for you to be honest and frank and you were very frank last time."

"What if I don't like Uncle Jack's new boyfriend?" Malcolm asked.

"You can tell mummy and daddy quietly, but not Uncle Jack," Clara replied, turning around.

"Fine," Malcolm grumbled, crossing his arms. "I love Uncle Jack but he's strange."

John ruffled the boy's hair. "You really need to stop taking your aunt seriously and I agree, your uncle is strange."

"Aunt Missy is fun."

"I know, but she can be a bit… chaotic at times," the Doctor said before rising his feet to go over to his wife. He pecked her on the cheek before helping her up.

"Are you going to have sex?"

The parents froze in shock.

"Malcolm David Smith, where did you learn such a thing?" Clara demanded.

The boy furrowed his brows in confusion. "Aunt Missy said that if daddy kisses you, it means you're going to have sex with him."

"She told you that?" John asked, surprised.

"Do you know what sex means?" Clara questioned, placing a hand on her swollen stomach.

Malcolm merely shrugged. "What does it mean?"

The Doctor licked his lips while his wife shut her eyes in disbelief. They fell right into Missy's trap.

"You'll know when you're a bit older."

Malcolm jumped off the bed. "Why can't I know now?" he inquired.

"Well, would you look at the time," John exclaimed. "We're going to be late if we don't leave right now."

The three-year-old then grasped his mother's hand. "I'll help you and the baby walk down the stairs, mummy."

"How sweet of you, Malcolm."

The Doctor beamed before he quickly went downstairs to start the car. Ever since Malcolm was born, the couple knew that the Mercedes John owned would no longer be sustainable for the growing family, so they ended up getting a new vehicle, but the 450SLC is still seeing the light of day every now and then.

Halfway through the steps, Michael and Mr Darcy raced past them.

"Bye, Michael, bye Mr Darcy!" the three-year-old chimed as they finally reached the final step.

Malcolm then ran into the living room to bid Idris and Lily goodbye before joining his mother at the door.

John helped his pregnant wife into the car while the boy sat in the back seat, trying to put on his seatbelt. "Let me help you with that," the Doctor said, locking the mechanism into place.

"Thank you, daddy."

Happy that his family is safe and secure, he got into the driver seat and shut the door. He glanced at Clara and then Malcolm. His own family with another child on the way.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Clara laughed, placing a hand on her husband's arm.

"Nothing, I just can't believe how lucky I am to have you and Malcolm."

Their son in the back seat grinned. "We are lucky to have you, too, daddy."

The vehicle then drove away from the house.

Halfway through the journey, Malcolm spoke up. "Mummy, when are we going to see Nan-Nan and grandad… I miss them."

Clara looked back. "Well, I can always give your nan a call and see if she wants to stay here for the weekend."

"Yay!" Malcolm exclaimed. "She always tells me stories about you and daddy!"

Clara and her husband exchanged looks. This was the first time they were hearing such a thing. "What sort of stories?"

"Daddy used to call you his Impossible Girl and you used to call him the Scottish Gentleman."

The mother heaved a sigh of relief. At least her grandmother is considerate enough to mind her language. "Oh!" she cried.

"What's wrong?" her husband asked in concern. "Do I need to pull over?"

"No, the baby is kicking again," Clara replied, caressing her stomach.

He extended an arm and placed his hand on top of hers. "Maybe the baby knows," he said quietly.

"Why did daddy call you the Impossible Girl?" their son asked.

The Doctor cleared his throat, trying to come up with the right words. "It's because… your mummy used to be impossible to talk to without us getting into a fight."

"Is that why Aunt Missy locked you and mummy in a lift?"

"What?!" both husband and wife exclaimed.

The family finally reached their destination and the Doctor immediately parked the vehicle in the first empty spot he saw.

Clara exchanged looks with her spouse. "Malcolm, what exactly did your Aunt Missy say to you?"

The boy stared at his feet, wondering if he was in trouble. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, darling," his mother said gently. "We just want to know what Aunt Missy told you."

"She said you and daddy used to fight a lot but secretly like each other, so she locked you and daddy in a lift to stop fighting."

The Doctor pursed his lips. It had been what, five years since the incident and he and his wife were just finding out about it now.

"She also said I shouldn't tell you."

"Oh, did she now?" John sighed. "When I see her, I'm going to ask her to stop corrupting my child."

Clara laughed. "Do you actually think that will work?"

He paused. "No."

"He's far too much like his daddy," Clara commented.

"Have you forgotten where he gets his sass from?"

"What's sass?" Malcolm asked.

His parents chuckled.

"A bit like being cheeky," his father explained. "Right, let's get out of here because Uncle Jack's probably waiting for us right now."

"I suppose we should be thanking Missy, really," Clara added, watching as her husband and son got out of the vehicle. A moment later, the passenger door swung open and her two boys helped her to her feet. "Thanks, I'm starting to feel like a whale."

"A very sexy whale."

Clara snorted. "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?"

"Is this what Aunt Missy meant by sex?" their son interrupted.

The married couple was unable to help themselves from laughing.

John offered a hand to his son and the boy immediately grasped it. His other hand then held his mother's.

"As I said, you'll find out once you're older."

Together, the family of three made their way to the restaurant. The Doctor and Clara took a quick glance at each other, smiling. Life couldn't be more perfect. They went from hating each other to loving one another and starting a family together.

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story may be over but I am planning to release a new fic in a month. The fic will be titled "Duty of Care" and more info (including a preview) )will be released soon on my Tumblr this weekend, so stay tuned :)


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